Chapter 6: Suspicious Minds

Tommy felt a soft breath, ghosting across his face, tickling his nose, as it moved toward his earlobe. Tommy moaned in his sleep. He felt warm, very warm, as a soft hand stroked his chest in lazy circles, and something wet grazed the side of his neck. He turned toward the warm body pressing against him and snuggled closer. Slow kisses, followed by roaming hands, met with approval as the woman in his arms rose to her knees and straddled his hips.

Tommy gasped as Irisa played with his nipples and took his aching cock inside her. She rode his throbbing member with abandon, head thrown back, and mouth open as she bounced on top of him. Cracking one eye open, Tommy looked at the woman in awe. 'So gorgeous,' he thought. He'd never had a dream this vivid before and he hoped he didn't wake up before he came. That would really suck, Tommy thought to himself.

Irisa leaned down for a wet, sloppy kiss, slipping her tongue inside his mouth, her hips gyrating to a beat of their own. Tommy gasped, shaking with passion, and muscles tightening, as he thrust up and came hard. Moments later, Irisa screamed and collapsed on top of him, sated and out of breath. Tommy wrapped his arms around the woman's slight frame, holding her close until they eventually drifted back to sleep.

Tommy awoke the second time to the smell of coffee brewing.

Irisa walked into the bedroom and handed Tommy a cup of coffee, giving him an impish smile.

"Thanks," Tommy said gratefully, blowing on the steaming mug.

"You're welcome. I fixed breakfast, so get up," Irisa ordered playfully.

Tommy got out of bed, hastily pulling on a pair of shorts, and followed Irisa into the kitchen. "This is great. I'm starving," Tommy said with a grin.

"Don't get used to it, Tommy. I'm not much of a cook."

"Ah, I bet you do okay. It smells good."

"We'll see, but you'd better taste it first."

Tommy shoveled forkfuls of food into his mouth, not caring what it actually tasted like. He was starving and Irisa cooked for him. It could've tasted like crap, but Tommy didn't care. Irisa was here at his place, feeding him breakfast, and sitting across from him smiling, and that's the only thing that mattered.

"Thanks, Irisa. This is really good," Tommy said around a mouthful of food. "I'm glad you came over, but It shocked me to see you at my door. I thought I was dreaming last night."

"I had to get away from Nolan. I didn't want him asking any more questions about my visions."

"So, he didn't take the news about his wedding very well?"

"I don't know, Tommy. I didn't give him time to respond. I ran like hell."

Tommy laughed. "I wish I could've seen the look on Nolan's face. I'll bet it was priceless."

"I'm not sure that's how I'd describe it, Tommy. I thought he looked more like he was going to puke, but I didn't stay long enough to find out."

"I feel for Nolan," Tommy replied sympathetically. "Maybe we can stop the wedding?"

"I think it's too late, but Nolan wouldn't want it stopped anyway, even if he doesn't know it yet."

Tommy grinned. "The poor sap."

Irisa smiled back. "Prepare yourself, Tommy. Things are going to get interesting."

"Jeez, I can't wait."

Stahma held Christie's hand, as they sat at the dining room table, talking quietly.

"It really isn't a big deal, Christie," Stahma said. "It will only take a few minutes and you'll be perfectly safe. Do you think we would hurt you, dear?"

"Of course, not," Christie replied. "My reasons probably seem silly to you, but it's just that humans are uncomfortable with their own bodies. I would feel so self-conscious. I don't know if my nerves could stand it."

Stahma smiled and stroked the girl's hair comfortingly. "I assure you, everything will be fine. You and Alak will sit at one end of the bath while Datak and I sit at the opposite end. You'll have on a lovely dress, made from strands of iridescent beads. No one will see a thing. Datak is adamant about the ceremony. It is simply part of being a good Castithan wife."

"I understand, Mrs. Tarr, really I do. I just don't want to embarrass myself or Alak."

"That won't happen, dear. Please now, go up and try on the dress. You and I can bathe together this evening, just the two of us."

"Without Alak?"

"Yes, Christie," Stahma replied. "I thought it for the best if we bathed alone. I want you to feel comfortable. Once you've experienced the bath for yourself, I think it will put your fears to rest."

"All right," Christie hesitantly agreed. She would bathe alone with Mrs. Tarr, and if she felt comfortable enough afterwards, then she'd consent to the ceremony. It was all so strange to her. Who ever heard of people taking baths together?"

"Excellent, dear," Stahma said beaming. "Now, let's go upstairs and get you ready."

Stahma ushered the girl up the stairs and into her bedroom. "I'll meet you in the bath, Christie. I do hope you like the dress."

"Thank you. I'm sure I will," Christie replied. She was still hesitant, but she loved Alak, and she would do anything to make him happy.

The next morning, Nolan strolled into the NeedWant and sat down at the bar. "Hey, you suppose I could get a cup of coffee?" Nolan asked the back of the dark-haired woman's head.

Kenya turned around, frowning at the Lawkeeper. She didn't look pleased to see him.

"Does this mean you're speaking to me again?"

"What are you talking about? I never stopped speaking to you."

"You didn't speak to me Wednesday night, not even a hello."

Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry about that, but my mind was a million miles away. I was in a fog Wednesday night."

Kenya looked Nolan over, frown disappearing, as a half-smile formed on her lips. "I'll bet I know why too," Kenya teased.

"Yeah, it probably wasn't hard to figure out considering that Datak booked the room from you."

Kenya laughed loudly. "I never would've imagined you and Datak Tarr. What's the attraction, Nolan?"

"Fuck if I know," Nolan replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Now, can I get that cup of coffee?"

"Sure, Nolan," Kenya said with a smile, as she poured Nolan a hot cup of black coffee.

"What brings you out this early in the morning?"

"I'm on my way to see, Rafe, but I needed a little pick me up first, and I wanted to see you. I know our relationship was interfering with your business, and I'm not angry that you kicked me to the curb, but I still care about you."

"Aw, that's sweet, Nolan, but you sure did get over me quick enough," Kenya said grinning.

"Sorry, Kenya, but I just can't seem to help myself. Datak drives me insane, and he knows how to push my buttons. I can't explain it, Kenya. Half the time, I don't know if I want to fuck him or kill him."

"I vote for kill him, but that's just my opinion."

Nolan chuckled. "I know, he's a royal pain in the ass, but he doesn't give you any problems, does he?"

"No, most of the time he's fine, unless he thinks someone is intentionally slighting him, but Stahma is like that too. It's a Castithan trait. They're very sensitive, Nolan."

"Do you know Mrs. Tarr well?"

"Hmm, I've talked to her about her son's upcoming wedding, but no, I wouldn't say that I know her well. Why do you ask?"

"She's a hard nut to crack. I hope she doesn't feel bad about me and Datak."

"No, she's fine with it, trust me. Stahma is very resilient."

"Okay, if you say so, but you're sure everything is all right?"

"Everything is fine, Nolan, but I wanted to ask you about Irisa. Is she okay with you and Datak? She ran out of here Wednesday night. She looked terrified."

"Oh, she's fine. Have you heard about Irisa's visions?"

"Uh huh, scary," Kenya replied.

"Yup, and I'm glad I don't get visions, but apparently, she had one Wednesday evening. She didn't tell me what happened. I can't get her to talk about it."

"I hope she's okay, Nolan."

"Thanks, and thanks for the coffee, sunshine, but I have to go see Rafe before he leaves for the mines."

"Bye, Nolan. I'm glad you stopped in."

Nolan smiled at Kenya and left the bar in a hurry. Some of the things Kenya said didn't make sense. She said she didn't know Mrs. Tarr very well, but the woman was just fine with him fucking her husband. How did Kenya know that, especially when she just said that Stahma, and she called her Stahma, was very sensitive. She also told him that he ought to kill Datak. Kenya knew a lot more than she was letting on. Nolan wondered if maybe Stahma could shed some light on the subject.

Nolan watched Mrs. Tarr discretely from across the street. He'd just got back to town, when he saw the Castithan woman leaving the Need Want. She and Kenya were talking, in the front entrance of the bar, when he arrived on the scene. Rafe McCawley had no information for him, nothing about damaged rovers or rouge Hellions, so Nolan didn't hang around.

Kenya and Stahma talked for a few minutes and then Stahma left, walking down the street, toward her home. Nolan followed, keeping enough distance between them, so that the Castithan woman wouldn't notice. Once she entered the house, Nolan waited outside for ten minutes, before approaching the front door.

Nolan knocked on the door tentatively. He wasn't sure exactly what he was going to say to Datak's wife, but he needed to think up something quickly.

"Lawkeeper, Nolan, what a surprise," Mrs. Tarr said as she opened the door. "May I help you with something?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything, but I wanted to check on you while Datak's away. I'm just making sure everything is all right. Do you need anything?"

"Well, that is very sweet of you, but as you can see, everything is fine here, and no, I don't need a thing. However, you look a bit flushed, Nolan. Do you need anything?"

"I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about what happened between your husband and me. I feel guilty."

Stahma laughed. "Please, don't feel guilty. My husband has a roving eye. In our home, Datak's affairs are commonplace. I hold nothing against you, Nolan."

"Um, well, thanks, "Nolan replied, just a little perplexed. He couldn't imagine any woman, even a Castithan woman, accepting her husband's extramarital affairs with a smile on her face. Something else was going on, Nolan suspected. Maybe Stahma was also having an affair, and that would make sense, considering Mrs. Tarr's attitude of indifference. Suddenly, the light bulb went off in Nolan's head.

'Fuck', Nolan thought, 'He bet it was Kenya.'

"Is there anything else I can do for you, Nolan?" Mrs. Tarr was asking.

"No, that was it. Again, I'm sorry I bothered you," Nolan replied, walking away with a new set of questions running through his mind.

"It's not a problem. It was nice to see you," Stahma answered, watching the Lawkeeper leave with a pensive expression on his face.

Stahma stared after Nolan, until he was well out of sight, thinking what a strange visit. The Lawkeeper was suspicious. Kenya warned her earlier, now Stahma was certain, the Lawkeeper knew something that he shouldn't.

It was very late when Datak arrived home. The house was dark and silent as he made his way to the bedroom. Stahma was sleeping peacefully, so Datak undressed quietly. He slipped into bed next to his wife, but he couldn't sleep. He lay there, staring at the ceiling for a long time, just thinking. He'd procured a lot of scrip on his journey. Datak wasn't sure yet, if he'd need it for the campaign, because he was still considering Nolan's offer. 'Nolan, ah Nolan', Datak thought. He wanted to see the Lawkeeper badly. Two days away from his lover left Datak with a raging hard-on. Nolan was the first person Datak wanted to see, but he knew he couldn't do that. Nolan would have to wait until Saturday evening, and Datak wasn't sure he could hold out that long.

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, so Datak got up early. He was sitting at the table, eating breakfast, when his wife came down. Her smile told him that all was well.

"Good morning, dear. How was your trip?" She asked.

"Very lucrative," Datak replied. "How were things at home? Did you speak with Christie?"

"Yes, I did, and I convinced her to go through with the ceremony. She was nervous, but once she actually entered the bath, Christie calmed considerably."

"Very good," Datak said, with a nod of approval. "Human are so strange."

"Indeed they are," Stahma agreed. "In fact, your Lawkeeper paid me a visit while you were away."

"Really, why would he come to see you?" Datak asked with a frown.

"I don't know exactly, dear. He said he wanted to check on me while you were gone, just to make sure that I was all right. He also apologized for sleeping with you. He said he felt guilty."

"I knew that self-righteous sense of honor would get the better of him," Datak responded angrily. "He simply couldn't leave well enough alone."

"I told him that it was perfectly fine with me, and that seemed to satisfy him. He wasn't here very long."

"I suppose it's all right," Datak sighed. "Maybe now, he'll stop feeling guilty over the affair. After all, it was only one night."

"Of course, dear, I'm sure he was just trying put your evening together into perspective."

I'm going into town now. I have a meeting with the Castithan religious leaders and I want to stop and see the Mayor. Is there anything that you would like me to bring back, Stahma?"

Stahma smiled serenely. "No, dear, I have everything I need, but thank you."

"I will see you later this afternoon then," Datak said as he got up, grabbed his suit coat off the back of his chair, and left for town.

Datak saw Nolan standing out in front of the Lawkeeper's office. His heart thumped in his chest as Nolan turned toward him, their eyes locking in a heated display of lust. Datak crossed the street hurriedly.

"Nolan," Datak called.

"Datak, I see you're back. How was the trip?"

"It went very well, but I hear you stopped by my home to see my wife while I was away."

"I'm sorry, Datak, but I needed to know if she was really okay with the situation."

"Is your conscience clear now?" Datak asked, smirking at the Lawkeeper.

"I guess so, but are you sure everything is fine between the two of you? You're not angry with her… or anything, are you?"

"Of course not, Nolan," Datak replied suspiciously. "Why would I be angry with Stahma?"

"No reason, I was just checking, so relax."

"All right," Datak said, raising an eyebrow. Something was definitely amiss.

"Um, are we still on for tonight, Datak?"

"Yes, Nolan. I thought about you a lot while I was gone… probably too much," Datak said laughingly.

"I thought about you too, Datak. I just booked us a room at the NeedWant, for the same time as before, if that's okay with you?"

"Mm, perfect, I'm looking forward to it. How did Kenya react?"

"Ha, she took it just fine. She smiled and never batted an eyelash. I think she's over me," Nolan replied, grinning like a fool.

"I am glad to hear it, but I have to go now. I'm on my way to see the Mayor. I'll meet you at the NeedWant at eight." Datak smirked sideways at the Lawkeeper. "Ah, don't be late, Nolan."

Nolan laughed as Datak walked away, vowing silently that he'd be right on time. Nolan figured that if he could keep Datak distracted, just maybe Stahma's indiscretion would go unnoticed. One could always hope anyway.