Incorrigible Pt. 03

He had the rest of their lives planned to perfection... he only missed one small detail.

Randy had a good life. He owned a successful business, had two wonderful children and a beautiful wife. Now that their youngest was off to college, Randy was eager to reap the benefits of having had children young. To his way of thinking, becoming empty nesters in their early forties was just about perfect. But his wife had other plans.

Following the divorce, and a bit of soul searching, Randy decides to take a Grand Tour of his homeland and really own his mid-life crisis. He buys a fast car, kisses his kids goodbye and heads west. He would soon discover, however, that fate had one more surprise in store for him.

After accidentally saving an ill-tempered alien with a cockney accent and a devastating appetite for junk food, Randy embarks on an adventure beyond his wildest imagination with a companion whose abilities seem boundless. Along the way, he encounters the best and worst of humanity and meets a bevy of remarkable women.

Incorrigible is the tale of a good man who, in rescuing an alien, finds himself in a very human struggle between good and evil. His new companion tosses out Faustian bargains like candy, forcing him to navigate the fine line between finding true happiness and losing his soul.

Author's note:

This novel is a work of sci-fi adventure. I've split it into four sections for publication here.

All sensuality (on page or otherwise) takes place between characters who are eighteen or older.

Twenty-Three

"Hey, good news," Sabrina piped up from the backseat. "I found us a decent hotel that's just about thirty minutes up the road. Any objection to stopping and getting some rest now or do you want to push all the way through tonight?"

"Fine by me," Randy said.

Ariana added, "Just let me know which hotel and I'll grab a room there too."

"Great. I'll get us booked." After a few moments of silence, she continued, "Oh shit. They've just got suites available. Ariana, are you opposed to bunking up? Seems a waste for us to have a suite all to ourselves." Ariana was silent for a moment, so Sabrina added, "I promise we'll keep it down."

Randy caught Ariana's grin out of the corner of his eye just before she said, "Sure. That sounds great. Just let me know what my share is."

Sabrina made a noise which sounded a bit like a snicker, but which Randy hoped was swallowed up by the road noise. Randy briefly thought of a way to surreptitiously communicate to Sabrina the need to arrange accommodations for Cnychwr, but he quickly realized that this was almost certainly her primary reason for taking the initiative on their lodging.

The remainder of their trip passed in silence, and they pulled into the hotel Sabrina had found just as the last vestiges of sunlight faded from the western sky. Sabrina extracted herself from the car and proceeded inside to collect their keys while Randy and Ariana stood awkwardly leaning on either side of the car's passenger side a few meters apart.

Sabrina returned moments later and stopped before them. "You two have got to relax." She flowed up against Randy and he felt her arm snake around him. She turned to their guest and said, "Come on, Ariana. Let's go check out the room while Randy grabs our things."

Randy watched them enter the hotel before he climbed into the vehicle and drove it to a more secluded parking spot. After shutting down the vehicle, he reached into his back pocket and extracted the room key Sabrina had deposited there. He looked in the review mirror and said, "You still with me back there?"

"Where else would I be?" Cnychwr muttered in irritation. "I cannot believe you referred to me as a dog. Again."

"You'd have preferred I inform her there's an alien in the backseat?"

"I take your point. What happens now?"

"Sabrina arranged for a room for you. We just use standard procedure to get you inside and then you lay low until we're ready to move again."

"I grow weary of 'laying low', as you call it. Your entertainment programs are the worst sort of intellectually devoid drivel. Even taking into account the unhealthy obsession your species has with intercourse, they are irredeemable."

"Not my fault you keep watching trashy reality shows.

"That is all that is on," Cnychwr snapped. "I wish to find the equipment I require to coordinate with my people. I will remind you that you agreed to take me to your Silicon Valley to discover if your kind has even yet invented the parts I need. I wish to feed. I wish to do... anything."

"I'll see what I can do about the equipment thing. I'm loath to give you access to my credit card but maybe I can provide the means to do some online searching without attracting too much attention. Would that help?"

"What of my need for nourishment?"

Randy smirked and said, "Is that what you're calling it now?"

"I neither requested, nor desired, your judgement. Did your mate make arrangements for me to order room service, or did you have something else in mind?"

"I'll make sure you have access to room service. Within reason."

"I could make you rich beyond your wildest dreams when I depart, and yet you continue to insist upon these petty restrictions. I know a reasonable meal does not strain your financial capabilities, why pretend otherwise?"

"Because being thrifty is how I found myself in a position to be able to afford a touch of luxury. I have no intention of squandering it on your behalf. Besides, your needs will be met. I just have no intention of fueling any more benders. Now, let's make with the invisibility so I can catch up with Sabrina and Ariana before they get suspicious."

"As you wish," Cnychwr said before winking out of sight.

***

Later that evening, as Sabrina prepared for bed and Randy sipped at his cocktail, he watched her with renewed appreciation. She felt his eyes on her and turned to regard him with a raised eyebrow. She wore nothing but a filmy nightgown that did little to hide her alluring curves.

"Yes?" she murmured as she removed her makeup.

"Just appreciating the view, my dear."

"I see how it is. You think I'm in the mood to play with your spectacular penis."

"I assume nothing. But the day I fail to appreciate such beauty? Don't even bother to check for a pulse. Just toss some dirt on me and move on."

"You keep talking like that and I'm liable to fall for you, Mr. Vettel."

She turned quickly back to the mirror, but Randy could see the blush spread across her cheeks in her reflection. He smiled and softly said, "I'm falling for you too."

She whirled to face him, regarding him intently for several seconds before finally saying, "I'm glad to hear that. But I can't help feeling a little confused."

"How so?"

Sabrina quickly finished up in the restroom and stepped over to join Randy on the bed. However, instead of laying down beside him, she sat by his side and stared into his eyes. At length, she said, "I really like you, Randy. I wasn't lying when I said I could fall for you."

She paused, prompting Randy to say, "But?"

"I've never been in love," Sabrina said quickly. "I thought I loved my ex, at least at the beginning. But, in hindsight, I think it was just decent chemistry, both in and out of the bedroom. Before that, I'd never felt anything for the guys I dated. Truth be told, I was convinced I was a lesbian because I always tended to click with the few women I dated. I was ready to give up dick for good when I met Fred. He didn't sweep me off my feet so much as manage to do what no guy had ever done for me before that. Namely, treat me moderately decently and occasionally get me off.

"After Fred, I dated a few women but none of them did it for me either. I'd convinced myself that I just wasn't meant to be in a serious relationship. Then I met you. I have never felt any kind of instant attraction before, not to mention how well we fit outside the bedroom."

She fell silent. At length, Randy said, "Tell me what's wrong, honey. If it's in my power to fix it, I will."

She looked at him with unguarded vulnerability and said, "Why haven't you told your children about me yet? I get not wanting to toy with their emotions over a fling, but that's not what this is. Is it?"

"Of course not," Randy whispered quietly. "I..." the words died on his lips as realization expanded within him like a mushroom cloud. The amazing woman before him needed action, not words. And without a demonstration of his commitment, it would be foolish to think the words, much less speak them. Instead, he said, "Get dressed."

"Pardon?" she said, genuinely taken aback.

"It's up to you, honey. But don't be surprised if my son's eyes never get higher than your collarbone. I have it on good authority that he's a boob man, just like his old man."

Before Sabrina could react, Randy pulled out his phone and told his virtual assistant to video call his children.

"Oh! I'm going to get you for this," Sabrina muttered as she hurried over to her suitcase to snag a t-shirt, but Randy spied the shy smile on her lips when she turned.

"Dad?" Holly said from his phone. "Is everything ok?"

"Oh, crap," Randy exclaimed. "I forgot the time difference."

"It's fine. I was still up. And I can't imagine Peter isn't also up. I swear he's a vampire. Maybe he's just busy. Or, should I say, getting busy."

"How dare you impugn my character!" Peter said with mock outrage as he joined the call. "I'll have you know I was at the library and needed to step outside before answering."

"Then why can I see your girlfriend's bed in the background."

"Oh, crap. Well, I was studying."

"You're not taking anatomy this semester."

"Children!" Randy interjected. "Will this infernal bickering never cease?"

"She started it."

Holly haughtily said, "I'd love nothing more than to enjoy a congenial relationship with my sibling, Father. But I cannot be responsible for his behavior."

"What about that joint I found on your patio the last time I visited?" Peter wheedled.

"I'm going to kill you and fashion your skin into a..."

"Children!" Randy repeated, more forcefully this time.

"Sorry," they replied in unison, somewhat more subdued.

Randy smiled wanly and said, "Better. I'll be honest, I'm genuinely curious at this point if your children will be mortal enemies or form an alliance against you two. Not that I'm expecting children from you any time soon."

Peter preened and said, "Don't worry, pops. I lifted your S-Mart card last time you were here. They sell condoms in bulk."

"Gross!" Holly huffed. "Besides, it'd be more cost effective, and likely better for the planet as a whole, if you just got snipped now."

Randy looked up at Sabrina, who was sitting on the end of the bed and smiling brilliantly. He said, "If we've finished old business, I motion we move on to new business."

"Huh?" Peter questioned just before Holly suspiciously asked, "You met someone, didn't you?"

"I did, indeed."

Peter said, "That's awesome, Dad!"

"How long?" Holly asked warily.

"A few weeks ago. We met in a small town in northern Colorado. Her name is Sabrina and I'd like to introduce you two to her."

Randy moved to Sabrina's side and held his phone out to include Sabrina in the frame. She smiled shyly at the screen and said, "Hi."

Peter puffed out his chest and said, "What are your intentions toward our father?"

Sabrina snickered and said, "It's nice to meet you."

"We're just a couple hours east of the Grand Canyon," Randy interjected. "We plan on spending a few days there before we continue west."

Holly's eyes widened slightly, and she said, "So she's joined your super trip, or whatever you called it?"

"I have," Sabrina answered evenly. "I hope that's ok."

Holly smiled slightly and said, "Please take no offense, Ms. Sabrina. We just want what's best for our dad."

"As do I," Sabrina whispered.

Holly's smile widened and she said, "Then we'll get along brilliantly."

"We're honestly super happy Dad found someone, Ms. Sabrina," Peter added. "We look forward to meeting you in person."

"I can't wait," Sabrina replied warmly.

Peter returned her smile before saying, "Hey Dad, does this introduction mean you'll start sending us pics again? Don't think Holly and I didn't notice that, starting a few weeks ago, your photos suddenly had nothing but mountains in them. I checked your socials but they're even worse. I swear, you should put something there or your clients will start thinking you accidently drove into the Mississippi or something."

"He's not wrong, Dad," Holly offered. "I've had at least three of your friends reach out and ask if you were ok."

"No more radio silence, I promise," Randy assured them. "You guys sure you're ok with all of this? I mean, me seeing someone."

Peter chuckled and said, "Um... awkward much? What if we said no? I mean, she's right here, Dad."

Sabrina guffawed and said, "Perhaps I should give you guys some privacy."

"My Neandertal brother is just joking, Ms. Sabrina," Holly said with a smile. "I swear that he and I are very happy for you both. It's good to see our father smile again."

"I couldn't agree more," Sabrina said as she cast an adoring gaze in Randy's direction. "And, please, call me Sabrina."

Twenty-Four

"Hey, babe?" Sabrina called from the restroom where she was busily performing the incantation through which American females spend twenty minutes applying makeup with the desired endgame of looking like they aren't wearing makeup.

"Yes, sweetums?" Randy replied, sticking his head around the doorjamb.

"Don't," she replied, barely able to keep control of the smile which threatened to overtake her face. "My Pop-Pop called my Nana that, and I do not want to think about them doing what we did last night."

"You don't think your Nana deserved to have so many orgasms that she passed out from sheer exhaustion?"

"Considering that she was an asshole, not to mention an unrepentant racist? Not really."

"I see," Randy replied contritely.

Sabrina flowed against him and kissed him quickly, but passionately, before murmuring, "But I certainly appreciated the orgasms, and the man that gave them to me. I hope we didn't disturb Ariana."

"The same thought had occurred to me. Maybe we could offer to take her to breakfast to make up for it."

"Actually," Sabrina replied after a moment's hesitation. "I was thinking we could invite her to come with us today. She certainly doesn't seem to be in any hurry, and I get the impression she could use a little fun."

"Fine by me. As long as you're sure."

"I suggested it. Why wouldn't I be ok with it?"

Randy sighed and said, "I know you're your own person, I swear that I do. But I was married for a long time, honey. And one of the many lessons I learned was that there are few things in life more certain to interrupt a relationship's harmony than the inclusion of a single female in any kind of social event."

"Especially one who's hot?"

"Your words."

Sabrina said, "I'm not trying to trap you, babe. Perhaps the issue was your ex being insecure about your relationship."

"She admitted as much. She wasn't bitchy about it. It was just one of the things she was up-front about when we started dating. It was the same with strip clubs. She didn't nag, she just said she wasn't comfortable with me going to one without her. In all honesty, I found it much more mature than someone who says something is fine but secretly harbors the hope that you'll decide on your own that it's wrong."

Sabrina nodded and said, "I can see the logic in that. I've always detested people who get angry when their partners don't immediately pick up on the fact that they're lying. But that's not my angle with proposing we invite Ariana along. I am not trying to trap you."

"I cannot help but notice the emphasis you placed on that last syllable. What are you up to?"

Sabrina was quiet for a few moments before she murmured, "What's your wildest unrealized sexual fantasy? The thing you've always wanted but never managed to pull off."

"I'm... uh... not sure. I'll be honest, we've ticked off a fair number of them."

"Like what?"

"Making love under a waterfall. Sixty-nining. Um... general creativity during... um... completion."

"You can say cumming on my tits, Randy. We were both there. Or were you referring to the time you came on my face?"

"You begged me to do it."

"You're goddamned right I did. And I'll do it again. But there must still be some things left on your getting freaky bucket list, right?"

Randy shrugged and said, "Sure. If there wasn't more left to try, what would be the point? But the thing that made those experiences so special to me wasn't that I checked an item off of some mental list I've been cultivating since puberty. It was that I was with you, and we were both fully committed to each other's happiness. I won't remember the feeling of, forgive me, cumming on your face. I'll remember how you smiled at me immediately after."

"Aw... babe," she murmured before capturing his lips with her own. Their kiss quickly deepened, with her tongue slicking against his. His hands found her magnificent ass almost of their own accord and she moaned into his mouth as he pulled her closer. Just as he felt himself hardening, she pulled back and said, "Wait!" she gasped. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get distracted. You're just so goddamned wonderful. Sometimes I can't help it."

"Sorry, not sorry?" Randy offered.

She swatted his arm and said, "Just listen to me. And try not to be so distractingly perfect for just a minute. I kind of need you to think with your magnificent dick right now."

Randy bowed and said, "I will do my best."

Sabrina took a deep breath and said, "No games. No traps. Do you think Ariana's hot?"

Randy bit back the denial which sprang to his lips, recognizing in an instant that Sabrina had never deceived him. He carefully nodded and said, "She's very attractive."

"Not good enough. Let's say you never met me, and you were just heading across the country. You pull into Four Corners, same as we did yesterday, and spot her in that pink tank-top and those Daisy Dukes. Does our friend here," she slid a finger over his jeans, along the length of his shaft, to emphasize her point, "say 'gimme some of that'? Do your eyes follow her ass as she walks down the sidewalk in front of you? Do you notice the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra?"

"Of course, I notice. What are you getting at?"

"I want her," Sabrina whispered, almost inaudibly, before coyly biting her lip. "I want us to share her." As Randy's features darkened, she blurted out, "But it's just something I thought would be fun for us. If you're opposed, then just forget I said anything."

Randy pulled her close and said, "It's not that, honey. I'm just still not completely over that feeling of dread I had yesterday when Ariana introduced herself. It was just like what happened with Olga."

"But you said Cnychwr convinced you he wasn't involved."

"I know. And I'm pretty sure I believe him. It's just that moment of panic I had, it's the kind of thing that sticks with you."

"Then forget I said anything," she responded firmly.

"This is your grand tour too, Sabrina. If this is something you're interested in, I want it to happen for you."

"I don't want this more than I want you. Not by a long shot."

Randy smiled and said, "I know, honey. I feel the same way. Let's see how today goes. Maybe she'll want nothing to do with us after spending some time with me."

Sabrina shrugged and said, "Or maybe she'll decide she doesn't want to continue living without knowing the feeling of your magnificent cock filling her up."

***

"Oh. My. God!" Ariana exclaimed from the backseat as Randy buried the throttle headed into a long-sweeping right-hander along the eastern rim of the Grand Canyon. "I love this car!"

"Isn't it great?" Sabrina shouted over the thundering V8.

"Randy? I gotta be honest. I want to do things to your car which are both illegal and immoral."

"Might I suggest doing them to Randy... in the car."

Ariana laughed and shouted, "That's all you, girl. Although I can't promise not to watch."

"Well then I can't promise not to notice you watching," Sabrina retorted good naturedly.

They rode in silence for a few moments, taking in the splendor around them. The sun was nearing the horizon and they were headed toward what they had been told was the best place to watch the sunset. Their day had been one of wonder and fun. Ariana had eagerly accepted their invitation that morning to join them and had immediately become a comfortable addition to their group. Their banter was good natured, and free flowing. Ariana did not shy away from asking Randy and Sabrina about their relationship, and he got the impression that their occasional chat's while he was separated from them included not a few details about their intimate life.

Their day had intentionally avoided all the touristy standards, such as a burro trip into the canyon, in favor of a self-guided tour along the eastern rim. At the last stop, they had sat in awed silence for over an hour as they watched a thunderstorm form inside the canyon, and below eye level, before ultimately fading back into the ether. All had visited the canyon before, but none had ever taken the time to slow down and take in the sheer majesty. It had been akin to a religious experience for the trio, and it was something they would not soon forget.

Ariana broke the silence during a quiet section of road by leaning forward until she was perched between Randy and Sabrina. "I'm not like that, Sabrina. He's yours, and that's that."

Sabrina reached out to take Ariana's hand and said, "That's so nice of you to say, sweetie. But I wasn't suggesting you two sneak off behind my back. I was thinking more that we might engage in a bit of sharing. Or, if you're not keen on a threesome, I could just watch."

"Oh," Ariana murmured as she sank back into the back seat.

Sabrina glanced worryingly over at Randy, who could only shrug in response. Just as Randy opened his mouth to break the tension, a bighorn dashed across the road less than a hundred meters from their front bumper.

"Look out!" Ariana shouted just as Randy stood on the brakes. They chattered to a stop a comfortable distance from the ram, who regarded them with indifference before belatedly scampering off into the brush.

"Fuck, that was close," Sabrina breathed.

"He came out of nowhere," Ariana gasped. "I can't believe we stopped in time."

Randy looked around and said, "Is everyone ok?"

Sabrina nodded and Ariana whispered, "Yeah. All good."

Randy took a deep breath and set off moments later, albeit at a slightly slower pace. They drove for a few moments before Ariana burst out, "I'm in."

"Pardon?" Randy asked gently.

"You. Both of you. All of it. I'm in."

Sabrina said, "No, Ariana. I shouldn't have brought it up. Please, forget I said anything."

"But... what if I don't want to?" Ariana replied coquettishly.

Sabrina bit her lip alluringly and said, "Well... great. Um... now what?"

"I don't know," Ariana huffed. "I've never done this before. I thought you were... experienced."

"Hell no!" Sabrina sighed. "I've certainly been with Randy. A lot. And let me tell you something, honey. Do your fucking stretching. And I've been with plenty of girls. I mean, not a lot. But more than one. But I've never made love to more than one person at once before."

Randy felt their eyes on him, prompting him to say, "Don't look at me. This was your idea."

"Oh," Ariana whispered forlornly. "I thought you were into it."

"Don't get me wrong. I am into it. I just meant I've never known anyone who had a threesome. Wait, check that. I've known one person."

"Who?" Sabrina challenged.

"When I went to visit Peter before I left, he had two girls in his room with him. Let's just say they didn't all manage to get their clothes on properly before the girls left."

"You've got a son?" Ariana exclaimed. "Old enough to have a threesome?"

"Certainly not," Randy retorted in horror. "To the second part, I mean. But, yes, I do have a son who's a freshman in college. And a daughter who's twenty."

"But... how? You don't look a day over thirty."

"Benefits of good genes, I guess," Randy replied carefully.

"Pardon me for asking, but how old are you?"

"I thought that question was in poor taste," Randy deflected.

"Only if you ask a lady, which I am not. So I have no problem informing you that I am thirty-three. So, out with it."

Randy sighed and said, "Forty-two."

"Wow, you look great," Ariana gushed.

"So do you," Sabrina added. "You've got two years on me, but I would have pegged you for five years younger."

Ariana said, "Same. I thought you were twenty-six, maybe twenty-seven."

"I guess we all found the fountain of youth," Randy hypothesized.

"So..." Sabrina said after yet another pregnant pause. "I guess we just see how things go?"

Twenty-Five

"Are you sure we're playing this right?" Sabrina asked suspiciously before taking a healthy sip of her drink.

"Well... I think so," Randy hiccupped. "It's been a while since I played."

"It is called Diamonds of Death," Ariana observed wryly. "I don't think the objective of the game is to win. Just to survive."

"I can't feel my ears!" Sabrina exclaimed.

Randy chuckled, reaching up to his own ear briefly, before asking, "Can you normally feel them? I feel like the answer should be no, but now I can't remember how normal feels."

"Whose turn is it?"

Sabrina scrunched up her face and said, "Last I remember, Randy was insisting he could make his huge dick hard using only the power of his mind."

"You cheated, though," Randy retorted haughtily. "Talking about my ex going down on her new boy toy was a low blow."

"All's fair in love and war," Sabrina replied. "Besides, it's not like I'm not going to deep throat you later tonight to make it up to you."

"Lucky," Ariana muttered.

Sabrina shrugged and said, "What's stopping you? We already said we're game."

"I've never been with a woman before."

"That's cool. I can just watch."

"No, that's not fair to you, Sabrina. You two are together. It's not fair for me to join in unless you both get to play. It's not like I'm against it, I'm super attracted to both of you. I'm just psyching myself up, you know?"

"Absolutely," Sabrina replied warmly. "It was the same with us the first time. We had insane chemistry from the jump. We went to brunch, and I spent the whole time building up the confidence to just speak my mind."

"What'd you say?"

"I told him I didn't want to spend another day where my shitty ex was the last person I'd had sex with. Two minutes later, we were naked as the day we were born and driving all the neighbors to call the management to complain about the noise."

"That's incredible."

"It certainly was," Sabrina replied with a wink. "The second time was even better."

"Oof," Ariana mumbled.

"Sister, you don't know the half of it. But you will."

"How did his ex ever let him go?"

Sabrina shook her head sadly and said, "Clinically insane. Open and shut case."

Randy watched the exchange with a goofy grin on his face, trying not to think too much about what the rest of the evening portended. He still had not completely squared this course of action with the puritanical shadow being raised in the American south had cast over his upbringing. There was a rather vocal contingent of his subconscious who was shouting from the rooftops that this was all a trap, and that Sabrina would leave him the moment he laid a finger on Ariana. Opposing this mindset was the simple fact that, as she had pointed out, Sabrina had never deceived him. From the start, she had been completely open and honest with him. Furthermore, he could not come up with a single motivation for duplicitousness on her part. As he watched Sabrina and Ariana's sexually charged, yet playful banter as they gathered in their shared suite, he was left only with the honest question of whether or not he wanted to have a threesome.

He had not historically been a guy for whom that particular kink resonated. It was not that he found it distasteful. It was more that he had never been in the midst of making love and found himself wishing more people were involved. But as he watched Sabrina and Ariana grow more bold, both in words and in actions, he would have been lying if he denied how impossibly turned on he was. Sabrina was wearing a pajama set that only missed being termed lingerie by the slimmest of margins. Ariana, by way of comparison, apparently traveled without pajamas and was thus wearing a t-shirt the significantly taller Sabrina had lent her and, as far as Randy could tell, nothing else.

As he opened his mouth to respond to Sabrina's pithy comment about Jennifer, he heard his phone ringing from the bedroom, the ringtone one he had assigned to his ex years before. He stood and observed, "Speak of the devil."

Sabrina mock gasped, "You don't think she heard us, do you?"

Randy merely chuckled in response and said, "I better take this. She hasn't called me since we split up, something might be wrong."

"Don't be long," she replied suggestively.

He closed the door behind him and took a seat on the bed as he answered his phone, "Hey. What's wrong?"

"Excuse me?" Jennifer replied haughtily. "Why would anything be wrong?"

"Well... you haven't called me in three months. Ergo, something unusual has occurred which caused you to break radio silence. The kids ok?"

"That depends on your definition of ok."

"Oh, fuck. What happened?"

"They found out their father was so ready to move on from his wife of over twenty years, that he's already touring the country with two women, girls really, who are young enough to be his daughters."

"Hang on a second," he said quickly before muting his phone. He then spent several moments taking slow, deep breaths. It was not immediately clear, even to Randy, if he was trying to control his anger or keep from devolving into a fit of laughter, but he doubted either would serve him in the long term. After a delay significantly in excess of a second, and perhaps even as long as several minutes, he unmuted his phone. "Could you run that by me again? There was a hypocrite running down the hall of our hotel and I think I must have missed some of what you said."

"Cute," Jennifer snapped. "I'm in no mood for games."

"Nor am I," Randy responded reasonably before lapsing into a strategic silence. He could hear Jennifer's breathing growing more labored as her fury grew. He knew from long experience that Jennifer was, in nearly all situations, a reasonable person. But she could also be a force to be reckoned with if she felt as though she had been wronged. He hoped she would come to see the preposterousness of her argument, but he was not sorry that they were separated by several thousand kilometers if she decided that this situation called for her to truly lose her shit.

At length, Jennifer took a breath and said, "I can't believe you did this to them. They may be in college, but there still too young to have to contend with the kind of emotional whiplash you're setting them up for by fucking your way across the country."

"Them? I assume you mean our children?"

"Of course, I mean our children. Just think of how confused they must have been when they saw those pictures."

"I suspect they were rather nonplussed considering that they had already met her before anything went on social media. They seemed to like her very much. Unsurprising, really, considering that they both encouraged me to start dating. So, since we've dispensed with the fiction that this is about our children, perhaps you could explain what exactly it is that I did to you, Jennifer. I'll remind you; I was not the first to seek a new lover."

"At least I didn't seek two!" she snapped viciously.

"Neither did I. Where in blazes did you get such an idea anyway?"

"You really should pay more attention to your notifications. Someone named Sabrina, of whom I can only assume you have carnal knowledge, has been posting pictures of the two of you with another girl. I say girl because clearly this infant is quite a few years short of adulthood."

"I had hoped we could continue to be, if not friends, then at least friendly after you divorced me."

"I wanted that too. But how am I supposed to do that when you're hooking up with everything with boobs that crosses your path. Not to mention that you somehow look a decade younger."

"Did I ever bring up, what's his name, Zeke?"

A range of emotions flashed across her face before she ultimately sighed in defeat and said, "No. Not that we've spoken more than ten words since..."

"Indeed. My point is, I thought the whole idea was for us to move on. To try to find more happiness than we were able to give each other. I sincerely hope you've found a bit for yourself. Otherwise, this whole exercise was completely futile."

"Does she make you happy?"

"Does he?"

"Sometimes," Jennifer allowed. "Other times he's a whiney bitch."

"I'm glad for sometimes, Jennifer. But if the good starts to outweigh the bad, kick his ass to the curb and give someone else a try. Like you said, life's too short to settle."

"I take it then that you're much better off now than before?"

"I wouldn't say that," Randy replied after a moment's hesitation. "I was reasonably happy before, and I'm reasonably happy now. Each circumstance had its highs and lows. But..." he paused again, needing to finish the thought but searching for a way to say the words without undue rancor. "There's no going back, Jennifer. I hope to find happiness, and I hope you find the same. But this call feels uncomfortably like your true goal in all of this was more about me than you."

She said, "I know. I'm coming off like a petty asshole. I just had a fight with Zeke today, and I haven't yet gotten used to the change from passive aggressive, weeks-long siege-warfare style fighting to all out global thermonuclear war which ends with furniture broken, clothes ripped and everyone unconscious from the mix of screaming and fucking. I know that's probably more than you want to hear, not to mention being very much my problem, but just letting you know where my head's at.

"Then... I saw that pic of you looking like the fucking Sultan of Brunei with two beautiful, not to mention younger, women happily tucked under your arms, and I saw red. I can't even explain it. Logically, I love the idea of you finding someone new who makes you happy. Hell, even multiple somebody's. I guess I just had a surge of societally programmed jealousy and I picked up the phone before my higher brain functions could get the message out to my subconscious that we don't own you anymore."

Randy sighed and said, "One could make the argument that you never did."

"You know what I mean. Seriously, Randy, does she... they... make you happy?"

"I am happy," he deftly, at least in his own mind, evaded.

Jennifer seemingly took a moment to decide to let the matter go before continuing, "So, how long will this trip of yours last?"

"Hard to tell. I work nearly every day so it's not like the office is missing me. I'll certainly be back before the holidays."

"If she, they, decide to come home with you, or even if you decide to relocate out west, I still look forward to meeting... whoever... when you make it back this way. And I promise not to be an asshole when I meet them. I really am sorry for biting your head off. I want us to be more than just co-parents."

"I want that too. And I guess I'm looking forward to meeting this Zeke. Holly didn't seem to hate him immediately, so he must be pretty decent."

"I didn't start sleeping with him before we spoke. You know, after graduation. And he wasn't why I asked for a divorce."

"Your business," Randy replied calmly.

"Perhaps. But I wanted you to know, nonetheless. Well, I won't keep you."

"Goodnight Jennifer."

She hung up without another word, but Randy poured himself a stiff drink and turned down the lights before taking a seat in the room's easy chair and taking his inner-most thoughts out for a long-overdue bit of meditation.

Twenty-Six

"Hey," Sabrina whispered as she entered the bedroom. "Everything ok? We're getting kind of lonely out there."

Randy shrugged and said, "I didn't want to rain on y'all's parade."

She crossed the room to sit on the bed, near his chair. Her eyes quickly flitted around, taking in his nearly empty cocktail and the lowered lights before rising to look at his face. After a few moments she said, "Gimme just a minute."

She quickly departed the room. Randy heard hushed voices in the living room before Sabrina returned a few moments later.

He said, "What's going on out there?"

"I told Ariana we were headed to bed."

Randy frowned and said, "I thought you wanted to play tonight." She regarded him tenderly but said nothing. "It's fine, honey. You two have your fun. I swear I'll be up for whatever tomorrow."

Sabrina thought for a moment before saying, "I am attracted to Ariana. I also enjoy her company. But I do not... I do not feel about her the way I feel about you."

He smiled wanly at her and said, "I'm pretty fond of you too. Which is why I want you to have your fun. Think of it as a scouting mission. Get to know the lay of the land, as it were."

She snickered and said, "And what? Give you a full report when I return? Captain, sir? Or perhaps you'd rather we film the entire thing so you can review it like game film?"

"I honestly think you might do just that."

"If I thought you'd get off on it, you're damned right I would. But that's not what my man needs tonight."

Randy smiled and said, "And who's this man of yours? Is he bigger than me?"

"God, I hope not. You're already the size of ten men. At least... in some places."

He shook his head and said, "You know that's just a particularly unfunny joke dreamt up by our little cerulean friend. My true size is nothing to get excited about."

"I'd bet my left tit that I'd get excited about it. It's not your Adonis physique, or your porn-star cock that I'm interested in baby."

He stared at her with a firm set to his jaw, barely able to contain the torrent of emotions within him. At length, he murmured, "Then what are you interested in?"

Sabrina stood and took the two steps to reach his chair before settling into his lap. Her eyes met his, the dim light of the room making her hazel eyes appear alluringly green. There was a hint of playfulness in her eyes, but it was overshadowed by something far more profound. As Randy drank in the affection he found in her gaze, he could only hope that his own eyes held the same message for her.

She leaned in and kissed his forehead before whispering, "This."

She then kissed each of his eyelids slowly.

"This."

As she kissed each of his ears, she took a moment to linger, allowing her tongue to slide erotically along the lobe.

"This."

She ran her tongue down his jaw and then across his neck to his Adam's apple before suckling there briefly.

"This."

She made her way slowly down his upper chest, using her teeth to unbutton his shirt as she went. When she reached his sternum, her lips lingered for several minutes as she suckled at the taunt flesh of his chest. When she pulled back, his breath hitched at the sight of the mark she had left above his heart.

"This," she whispered with sultry finality.

"How are you this perfect?" he gasped.

"Funny," she sighed as she stroked his cheek. "That's precisely the question I was going to ask you?"

He pulled her into him and captured her lips. She sighed into him as their kiss deepened and time slowed. Despite her closeness, and her achingly sexy pajamas, neither of them sought to ratchet up the passion of their kiss. Instead, they grew closer on a more ethereal level, silently shouting unsaid words as their souls intertwined. Randy could feel her heart rate quickening and knew with absolute certainty the nearly imperceptible movements of his head that would heighten her pleasure and bring them closer. Sabrina's other hand came up to stroke his chest as she felt his fingers slide into her hair.

Their kiss ended slowly, a quiet sigh passing between them as their lips parted. Sabrina stared longingly into his eyes and said, "I need you to tell me what's wrong, baby."

He bit back the deflection, knowing that after the kiss they just shared it would be sacrilege to pretend as though she was mistaken and did not truly want to know what had happened. Or, worse, that she did not deserve to know what had taken place with Jennifer.

"That call? It was my ex."

"What did she want? Are the kids ok?"

He smiled at her warmly and said, "That was my first question. She hadn't called since before she told me she wanted a divorce. The last time we spoke, other than texts, was in the courthouse. No, the kids are fine."

"So?"

He shook his head and said, "She saw the pics you posted on social media. And she was... disappointed."

Sabrina frowned and said, "Like, actually disappointed? Or quote disappointed unquote? I. e., she went completely apeshit."

"More the latter than the former. She tried to charge the moral high ground, insisting that our kids would be irrevocably scarred by the sight of their father being happy with someone other than their mother?"

"Didn't you tell me she started dating someone else, like, five minutes after she told you she wanted a divorce?"

"I did indeed. And I pointed that out to her. Which didn't go well."

"I'm not sure I like your ex, baby. She sounds like a crazy bitch. Did you call her on her shit?"

"No," Randy replied with a wry smile. "Worse. I said nothing at all. Merely waited."

"Oh, you horrible, evil man," she quipped with a smirk. "Remind me to never argue with you. Did it work?"

"Yes. Eventually. After a few minutes she used the same phrase you did to describe her behavior. Said she'd gotten into a fight with her new guy, who apparently is a bit more of a yeller than I am. Then she saw the pics of us and blew her stack. To her credit, though, she did apologize. She even said she looks forward to meeting you. Well, what she actually said was that she looked forward to meeting quote them unquote. Apparently, she's decided I'm starting a harem."

"Fine by me. But I've got seniority. That means I'm in charge of bed assignments."

"As you wish."

Sabrina was silent for a moment before saying, "So what's got you so down in the dumps? I'm sure that call was annoying, but it's not like you're beholden to her anymore."

He sighed and said, "That's just it, though. I'm not sure I'll ever get over the desire to make her happy. I'm not in love with her anymore, but a part of me will always love her."

Sabrina's face shut down and her eyes faded almost immediately to a dull brown. She started to get up, but Randy placed a hand on each of her lightly freckled cheeks and said, "Don't."

"But you said..."

"I said I still love my ex. I also love my children and my parents. I even love my alma mater's football team, in spite of the fact that they've betrayed me more times than I can count. But none of that has any bearing on us. It doesn't change how I feel about you."

"And how do you feel about me?"

"Like I've just seen my first sunset over the eerily placid ocean waves; and driven just past the limit of adhesion on a mountain road, yet still managed to make the turn; and heard Dark Side of the Moon on vinyl for the first time. All at once."

She smiled shyly at him and said, "Me too. At least, I think so. I've never done any of those things."

Randy winked at her and said, "Well that is something we shall have to remedy." He kissed her briefly before continuing, "I've been sitting in here alone, not because I'm upset about what Jennifer said, but because I'm starting to realize how much you mean to me. And I don't want to do anything to fuck that up."

"You mean, like Ariana?"

"She's a very sweet young woman," Randy began.

"Not to mention very attractive."

"Indeed. And I will not pretend that there isn't something about your proposal that excites me."

"But?"

"I could not live with myself if a casual roll in the hay with Ariana somehow came between us. I like her plenty, but I... um... know what it feels like to meet someone you're meant to be with. I've experienced that twice in my life. It's nothing she did, but I don't get that sense off of Ariana. This isn't about a lack of trust in either your promises to me or your intuition, it just doesn't seem worth the risk."

Sabrina was silent for a moment before she whispered, "I just wanted to give you something amazing, babe. Something no one else ever had. I wanted to see the look on your face when you buried you cock in her while she ate me out, or when I licked your delicious seed off her pretty face. Sure, there's a part of me who's always wanted to have a threesome. I've been with both girls and guys, and enjoyed both at times, especially since meeting you. But I've always dreamt of what it would be like to have both at once. Especially if it was a true poly situation and everyone was eager to make all their lovers feel good, not just two girls ganging up on a guy.

"But, more than my fantasy, or pure wanton desire, I wanted you to think of me as the... girlfriend? Who would give you anything your heart desired."

"You've already done that, Sabrina. All I need is you."

"Aw... babe..."

"And," he continued, "I cannot imagine settling for plain old vanilla fucking when you've shown me just how profoundly, life-alteringly beautiful making love can be."

The sight of her tear-filled eyes nearly unmanned him, but the regret which had started to overwhelm him quickly turned to something far more wonderful when her lips crashed into his. Their hands moved with frenetic intensity, as though nothing in history had been more urgent than removing every scrap of clothing which separated them. Within moments, Sabrina sat naked on his lap, moaning in appreciation at the sensation of his hand on her breast.

"I need you inside me," she panted before claiming his lips once more.

Her hand snaked between them, gripping his throbbing manhood like a lifeline and stroking him eagerly. Without losing his claim on her lips, he felt her shift in his lap just before her exquisite warmth enveloped him.

A groan escaped his lips an instant before warning bells went off in his head. "Condom!" he grunted.

"Fuck," she panted in his ear. "Do we have to?"

"Jesus, woman!" he swore as his hips thrust into what he was quite certain was the most perfect pussy known to man. "You cannot ask me that question. Not when you feel like this."

She slammed down onto him once more before slowly rising off him to hurry to their stash of condoms in her suitcase. A whispered oath escaped his lips at the loss of her most intimate embrace.

"Soon," she whispered, kissing the end of his cock quickly before expertly sheathing him.

Sabrina wasted no time in climbing back into his lap and sinking onto his hardness once more.

"You're so goddamned beautiful," he whispered as he watched her eyes slowly transition from brown to green. He felt her inner walls clench around him at his words.

She smiled and said, "All for you, babe."

They made love languidly, neither lover racing for release but instead giving fully of themself to their partner. Sabrina's hands roamed leisurely between his chest and face, never breaking contact with his skin yet never fully coming to rest. Randy's hands caressed along her back, cradling her like the precious creature he knew her to be.

"I've never felt like this before," she whispered, beautiful vulnerability dripping from every syllable. "Ever."

Randy kissed her gently before saying, "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"Oh my goodness, you feel so fucking good."

He felt the telltale signs of her impending release but resisted the urge to rush to the finish line. He ran the tip of his tongue up the column of her magnificent neck before claiming her lips. She gradually increased her pace and he matched her, desperate to make her feel even a fraction as good as he did in that moment.

"Oh, baby," she gasped. "I'm cumming!"

"I'm with you, baby," he whispered in her ear as her inner walls squeezed around him like a vice. A low moan escaped her throat just before she threw her head back in a silent scream. Wetness surged around Randy's pulsing member, his own release reinforcing her ecstasy. In perfect synchronicity, they climbed to the heights of pleasure. Sabrina spasmed in his arms as Randy's muscles locked with each eruption of his seed deep inside her core.

Their orgasms ultimately crested gently, and Sabrina collapsed against Randy's chest. A fine sheen of sweat covered their skin and each time she inhaled, he involuntarily shivered at the tiny changes in sensation along his cock, still deep within her velvety channel.

Their lips found each other's once more briefly before she sighed against him; an unspoken vow passing between them as their foreheads met tiredly. Both knew the words would come sooner rather than later, but there could be no doubt as to what was in their hearts.

Twenty-Seven

They packed up and headed west once more the next morning. Ariana did not seem particularly put out by the previous evening's events and settled into the passenger seat with a smile as they set off. As they pulled onto the highway, Randy spotted ominous looking clouds in the distance. Before he could even voice what he considered to be an absurd thought about the possibility of rain, drops started hitting the windscreen.

"Well, would you look at that," Sabrina muttered from the back seat. "A rainstorm in the desert."

Within moments, her observation seemed like an understatement as the clouds truly opened up. Randy had to slow to barely forty kilometers per hour just to allow the windscreen wipers to keep up with the water assaulting them. They drove quietly through the rain, both because the rain made so much noise that conversation would be difficult and because both women could feel the tension radiating off Randy as he struggled to see through the rain.

Fortunately, the rain relented twenty minutes later, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Just five kilometers later, all hint of rain had all but disappeared and even the clouds were quickly fading away.

Randy looked around theatrically before saying, "What the hell was that? Did I have a hallucination?"

Ariana giggled and said, "Only if we shared it. I'll be honest, I didn't know it could rain like that here."

Randy nodded and said, "I'm all for ecology and whatever farmers are insane enough to try to make a living here, but I won't be disappointed if that doesn't happen again."

"Seconded," Sabrina chimed in from the back seat. "How much does this put us behind for getting into Vegas?"

"Maybe an hour, but we should still get there well before dark even with a stop at the Hoover Dam."

They rode in silence for a time until Randy felt something on his thigh. He looked down to see Ariana drawing small circles with her fingernail just above his knee. He looked up at her warily and she smiled playfully.

"I'm looking forward to tonight," she whispered. "After you guys bailed on me last night, the anticipation is killing me."

Randy glanced up in the rearview mirror and locked eyes with Sabrina, who shook her head sadly in response to his silent question about whether the two women had had a chance to speak that morning. He sighed and said, "About that..."

Ariana frowned and said, "That doesn't sound good. What happened?"

"It was certainly nothing you did, sweetie," Sabrina chimed in from the backseat. "Randy and I just had a beautiful moment last night, and we believe we need to focus on each other for now."

"I see."

"Please don't be angry," Sabrina continued. "It was never our intention to lead you on, or to hurt your feelings. We think you're great."

Ariana turned and said, "It's fine. Really. It would have been nice to have some fun together, but you two are obviously crazy about each other. I know how rare that is. No hard feelings. Honest."

The silence that descended felt awkward almost immediately, and only grew more uncomfortable from there. After several minutes, Ariana said, "I assume I should make my own travel arrangements once we get to Vegas?"

"That's completely up to you," Sabrina said gently. "We like spending time with you and enjoy your company."

"But there won't be any sexy time..." Ariana finished glumly.

Randy shook his head before saying, "Again, we really are sorry for leading you on."

"It's cool. Why don't we just see how things go once we arrive."

That settled, the remainder of the trip passed uneventfully, and they found themselves cruising down the Vegas strip a few hours before sundown that evening. After reaching the end of the crowded strip, Randy guided the car to the hotel Sabrina had booked during their trip. He was somewhat concerned about the fact that she had booked a single expansive suite with enough rooms to hold them all, including Cnychwr, since he was not yet prepared to share the secret of their companion with Ariana. He was, however, forced to rely on her typically excellent judgement as there had been no opportunity to discuss the matter with his lover prior to their arrival.

Sabrina had chosen a hotel off the strip to help them keep a lower profile. As they crossed the lobby, Randy spared a quick thought for just how absurd his life had become. After all, he reasoned, the possibility that he would be crossing the lobby of a Vegas hotel pushing a luggage cart containing the suitcases of two beautiful women and a dog crate containing an alien was not only something he would have given low odds on a month earlier; it was something he would not have even considered in a thousand lifetimes. He shook his head ruefully, a small smile spreading across his face.

His reverie was interrupted when Cnychwr said, "Randy! Something is amiss."

"Shh," Randy whispered urgently. "Someone will hear you!"

Ariana turned back to him and said, "What?"

"Only you can hear me, you moron," Cnychwr grumbled. "Telepathy, remember?"

Randy met Ariana's questioning gaze and said, "Oh... um... nothing."

"Right..." she muttered before turning to follow Sabrina.

Randy looked back at the luxurious dog crate before him and opened his mouth to speak. But before he got a word out, Cnychwr said, "It is not possible that you are this stupid. Stop trying to speak and, for once, listen."

Randy merely nodded this time.

"It would appear it can learn," Cnychwr observed with a resigned sigh. "Shortly we will pass through an archway. Concealed behind the artificial greenery there is a woman who is in need of aid."

Randy fixed a questioning gaze on the fine mesh of the animal carrier, trying to convey the myriad of questions which sprang immediately to his mind. After several seconds of silence from the maddeningly taciturn alien, he stopped the luggage cart and bent to re-tie his shoe. This brought his face level with the pet carrier.

He whispered, "What's going on? Not to sound like an asshole, but this place is called Sin City. Everyone here has something wrong with them. What's the big deal with this woman? You've never cared about a human's wellbeing before."

Cnychwr took a moment before answering, forcing Randy to rise and slowly resume his journey less his companions grow suspicious. Finally, the alien said, "You are aware that I can perceive your kind's thoughts, yes? It is, after all, how we are currently communicating. A byproduct of this... ability, is that I am constantly bombarded with everything which passes for a brain amongst your species, from the most idiotic drivel to the singularly profound. For the most part, I tune it out unless it pleases me to do otherwise.

"But I have grown familiar with you over this last month, Randall Vettel. And I am certain that you would never forgive yourself if you did not offer aid and comfort to the woman of whom I speak. I have never perceived a more devastated human, or one closer to irrevocably damaging themselves. I am certain that she needs help, my friend. The only question is, are you prepared to offer such aid?"

Randy had little chance to consider his companion's question as they arrived at the aforementioned archway, beyond which was a large area decorated like a tropical paradise. There was a walking path which led throughout the beautiful attraction with benches strewn throughout.

"Over by the back wall," Cnychwr supplied.

Randy scanned across the space and quickly spotted a provocatively dressed woman with auburn hair who appeared to be studiously trying to avoid anyone's notice. Her eyes briefly met Randy's before she looked away in embarrassment. But that instant was more than enough for Randy to take full measure of her haunted eyes.

He got Sabrina's attention and said, "I need a moment."

He then gestured to the luggage cart with his eyes, and she moved to stand beside Cnychwr's carrier.

As he started to make his way in the woman's direction, he heard Ariana say, "What's going on?"

He assumed Sabrina merely shrugged in response, but he did not hear her say anything as he approached the woman. Upon reaching her, he arrived at the worrying realization that he had no idea what to say to her.

She simplified this quandary by glancing up at him and, with a resigned sigh, said, "You looking for a good time?"

The look in her eyes took Randy's breath away. Never had he seen such agonizing defeat. He dropped onto the bench beside her and said, "Are you... are you ok?"

"That is no concern of yours," she snapped. "Do you want me or don't you?"

Randy thought for a moment before saying, "I want you to come with me."

"Great," she murmured dispiritedly before standing and collecting her effects.

She followed Randy back to where he had left the other women. Sabrina made no comment, but Ariana said, "Seriously. What's going on?"

"I'll explain everything later," Randy said firmly. "Let's go."

He led the group to the elevator bank. As the doors closed behind them, the stranger turned to him and said, "It'll be extra if they're partying too."

"You hired a hooker?" Ariana gasped.

"Shut. Up." Randy seethed.

Ariana held her hands up in a show of surrender and said, "Whatever."

Sabrina merely regarded Randy with a curious glance, which he replied to with what he hoped was a reassuring smile and a brief flick of his eyes in Cnychwr's direction. Her eyes widened in response before she offered an almost imperceptible nod.

As they entered the admittedly cavernous suite, Randy was anxious to get Cnychwr away from prying eyes. He trundled the luggage cart around the various rooms, dropping off items as he went and locking the door to the room in which he left the alien behind him. Returning to the main room, he found that both Sabrina and Ariana were absent, but the woman he had, for want of a better term, picked up downstairs was just removing her bra.

"What are you doing?" Randy stammered.

"Getting ready to have... sex... with you." She gestured to the other rooms and said, "Them too, I guess. But, like I said, that costs extra. It's two hundred just for you. They'll each be an additional two hundred. It's an extra one hundred for butt or mouth stuff."

"Please," Randy began. "I'll gladly pay you, but I must insist you put your clothes back on."

She looked down at her body with a mixture of humiliation and distain before saying, "You don't think I'm hot enough?"

"It's not that. You look great. I just want to relax for a bit."

She took a nervous step toward the door, prompting Randy to blurt out, "I'll give you a thousand dollars for tonight. No strings. I just want to... I don't know. I just want to make sure you're ok."

"I don't need your charity," she snapped, but there was no passion behind it. She snatched her shirt off the floor and covered her breasts. Behind him, Randy could hear what he assumed were Sabrina and Ariana moving around, but he had no intention of diverting his attention lest the obviously desperate woman before him tried to bolt.

"He told her he'd pay a thousand dollars for the night," Ariana whispered conspiratorially behind him.

"Can't you see she's in trouble?" Sabrina replied. "I cannot imagine he's genuinely trying to solicit her."

"What?" Ariana huffed. "How can you be so obtuse? There's no way he'd dish out that kind of cash without expecting something in return. I mean, look at her. She's got us beat in the tits department by plenty. And there's no guy alive who can resist a stacked redhead."

"You underestimate him. Now, please shut up before you scare her away."

"You'll see," Ariana replied with a self-satisfied confidence.

Randy sighed at the interchange and said, "I never said you needed anything. But I offer it, nonetheless. My name's Randy." He gestured behind him and continued, "This is my girlfriend, Sabrina, and our friend, Ariana. We have no expectations of you, only the desire to help you find safety. But, if you wish to leave, we will not stop you."

He crossed carefully to his briefcase, careful to keep his eyes on her without seeming to be approaching her unnecessarily. He extracted a stack of currency and peeled off a thousand dollars. He held it out to her demonstratively and said, "The money's yours whether you stay or not, but I urge you to choose the former even though none of us will prevent you from leaving if that is your choice."

She glared at him defiantly and took a few steps to approach him, snatching the money from his hand before quickly scurrying out of reach as though she expected him to ensnare her. She obviously debated for several moments before appearing to deflate before them. At length, she said, "Do you have a bathroom I could use?"

Sabrina said, "Right this way," and walked slowly over to the woman. When she arrived, she added, "Can I carry your things for you?" A nod was all the response she got. Sabrina collected the woman's belongings and led her toward the master bathroom. Just before reaching the door, she said, "What's your name?"

"Lily."

Twenty-Eight

After Sabrina returned from helping Lily find the restroom, she sat placidly on the couch beside Randy and kissed his cheek before snuggling against him. Ariana sat across from them and regarded them with suspicion. Several times she appeared about to speak, but ultimately she just sank back into the chair and remained quiet.

After a few moments' silence, Randy said, "Anyone else up for room service? I could eat a horse."

"Yes!" Ariana groaned. "I'm starving."

"Same here," Sabrina murmured into the crook of his neck.

Randy made a long arm for the menu which sat on the table beside him and perused it for a moment before saying, "I propose a new plan. Let's order in."

"Why?" Ariana asked in irritation. "I'm hangry."

"Because the food here costs a fortune and looks like something you'd get in a fast-food joint. I mean, look at this thing."

He offered the menu, which had pictures that could have been taken in a high school cafeteria and had prices that started with twenty-dollar appetizers and rose rapidly from there.

Ariana quickly stood up and said, "Why don't I go pick something up for all of us? That way we can eat quicker. Assuming, that is, you don't mind me driving your car."

"You can drive stick?" Randy asked without thinking.

"You could have found out last night," she quipped. "But, if you're asking if I can drive a manual transmission vehicle, the answer's obviously yes."

Randy looked to Sabrina who shrugged noncommittedly before turning back to Ariana and saying, "Sure. Thanks for offering."

"What do you guys want?"

Randy said, "Ladies choice. Just get a lot of it." He peeled off a few more bills from the money he had stashed in his pocket after giving Lily the money he promised, and handed it to her along with the keys. "Here you go. I really appreciate this."

"It's no problem whatsoever. See you guys in a bit."

She departed shortly thereafter, leaving Randy and Sabrina alone on the couch. As soon as the door clicked closed, Randy's eyes whipped to Sabrina and he said, "You're a rockstar, honey. Thanks so much for rolling with everything. You must have so many questions."

She smiled playfully and said, "Cnychwr told you telepathically that she was in trouble and where to find her. The only thing I can't figure out is why he cared. He hasn't exactly shown a propensity toward altruism."

"I can't imagine. He said he'd never perceived someone in so much pain."

"Well, he wasn't wrong there. I swear, she nearly jumped out of her skin when I touched her arm to show her where the restroom was. I suspect many women who get into sex work are in less-than-ideal circumstances. But something about her tells me this is more than just financial hardship."

"I agree," Randy replied grimly. "I will admit, however, I was a mite suspicious of our little blue friend when it turned out she was, at least objectively, attractive."

"Do you think he had a hand in her state of mind?"

"As terrible as it is to say, I honestly don't know. All I can say is, if he did then I swear we're going to find out if flying is amongst his attributes because I'll toss his ass right off the balcony."

"How can we be sure?"

Randy shrugged and said, "Why don't we ask him?"

As they approached the alien's door, they heard a click of the door being unlocked. Randy and Sabrina shared a knowing look before he turned the handle and they entered. To know one's surprise, the minibar's contents were already half exhausted and Cnychwr appeared to stagger a bit as he made his way back onto the bed.

Once he made himself comfortable, he said, "As previously discussed, I cannot prove a negative. All I can point out is that I have no reasonable motivation to manipulate that woman. The previous misunderstanding occurred in an entirely different reality from our current circumstances. You were without companionship then, that is no longer the case. You and I knew almost nothing about each other then, that is also no longer the case. It is ultimately up to you whether or not you believe me, I can't bring myself to care either way."

"Question," Sabrina interjected. "What's the range on this telepathy of yours?"

"I could, if I chose, tell you what everyone in this building was thinking."

"Can you tell us what happened to Lily?"

"No, but only because she is obviously exerting significant mental energy toward not thinking about it. I can, however, tell you that she was determined to harm herself before you interceded."

Randy said, "And now?"

"Make no mistake, she is still the most unhappy person in the near vicinity. Which, I can assure you, is no small feat. Whatever possessed you to want to come here? Everyone in this place is, almost without exception, miserable."

Randy shrugged and said, "I've often thought that people come to Vegas not to have fun, but to remind themselves that their lives aren't that bad. We won't be staying long, in any case. Just long enough for you to perhaps figure out a way to peruse the wares at the electronics convention happening this week."

"That is acceptable. When will the angry one return with sustenance?"

Sabrina chuckled and said, "Soon, I expect. Why do you call her the angry one?"

Cnychwr appeared to consider this for a moment before saying, "I cannot be bothered to learn the monikers you assign one another. Thus, she is the angry one. You are the tall one. And he is the annoying one. Please bring me sufficient nourishment when she returns. These liquids are delightful, but not very filling."

"Only if you're good," Randy muttered as they made to exit the room.

"Careful, sir. If you make me angry, I might find it necessary to give you insight into exactly what menstrual cramps are like."

"Take it back," Sabrina gasped. "Quick."

"I'm not afraid of him," Randy whispered as he closed the door behind them, albeit with a bit more confidence than he felt.

As they entered the living room, they noticed Lily quietly padding toward the front door. When she spotted them, she froze like a deer in headlights.

Sabrina said, "We have food coming. We'd love it if it you stayed."

After a brief hesitation, Lily said, "You have been far more generous than I deserve already, I'll not trouble you further."

"It's no trouble. Listen, we have plenty of room. Here, you can take that room behind you. No one else will go in there unless you wish them to. You're also free to eat in there if that makes you more comfortable. We'll be here for a few days. At the very least, you can get some rest and some food in your belly. But if there's anything else you can think of, please let Randy or I know."

"What of the other woman?"

"She will not trouble you," Randy replied with quiet confidence. "She was just a bit caught off guard when you first met. I suspect she'll be headed home before long anyway. You need anything, anything, you come see Sabrina or myself."

"Why are you doing this for me?" she whispered, unable to hide the tears falling down her cheeks.

"Because it's the right thing to do."

Lily glanced several times between the room and the door to the suite before nodding solemnly. She then took a deep breath and met Randy's eyes before saying, "Thank you. I'm not sure if I said that earlier but thank you so much. You saved me more than you'll ever know. I am in your debt."

"Don't be silly. We're just glad we could help."

Lily's back visibly straightened, and she said, "I was not being silly. I am in your debt. And, from this moment onward, I will do whatever you want."

"You don't have to do that, Lily," Randy said resignedly.

"Anything you desire. Either of you. I am yours to command. Would you like me to have sex with either or both of you now?" She pulled her shirt over her head, revealing her braless breasts which she thrust toward them proudly.

Before Randy could answer, the door to the suite opened and Ariana entered laden with several bags of food. She quickly spotted the trio and smiled triumphantly before saying, "I knew it!"

Lily glared at her, but defiantly refused to cover her breasts. Randy turned to Ariana and said, "I really must insist you cease this baseless conjecture."

"Baseless?" Ariana huffed. "She's got her huge boobs out!"

Randy crossed the room to stand mere centimeters from Ariana and said, "Could I have a word with you in private?"

Ariana sighed and said, "Sure."

She set the food on a table near the door and followed Randy into the room she had chosen upon their arrival. Randy closed the door behind them and turned to face her while trying to keep the anger he felt from his expression.

Before he could speak, Ariana said, "You don't need to lecture me, Randy. If you want to let her stay, that's your business. I was just having a little fun with you guys."

Randy refused to let go of the mad he had built up in the face of her logical interruption, instead seething, "She is so fucking close to... I don't know. Giving up? Throwing herself off the roof? I don't give a goddamned if she's a sex worker, and I certainly have zero intention of paying her for sex."

"Settle down, big guy. I get it. Like I said, I was just joking around. You know, like we've been doing near constantly for the last few days?"

"And it didn't occur to you that maybe the presence of a woman who's so close to the end of her rope that she barely even cares if she lives or dies might mean a change in tone?"

"Jeez. I'm sorry, ok? I don't have a ton of experience dealing with this kind of shit."

Randy sighed and said, "It's ok. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that. Just, please be more careful in the future."

Ariana nodded solemnly and said, "Sure. No problem." She paused for a moment before continuing, "We good?"

"Yeah," Randy replied quietly.

"Good. Not to sound insensitive, but do you mind if we go eat? I'm sort of famished."

Randy smiled and opened the door for her. When they entered the other room, they spotted Sabrina and a thankfully dressed Lily sitting at the table and eyeing the food hungrily.

"You shouldn't have waited," Randy gently critiqued.

"It was no problem. We were just taking full measure of everything and deciding what to eat first."

They quickly dug in. Randy was relieved to see Lily eating, although he wished she would eat more than the few hundred calories she quickly consumed before asking to be excused.

A moment later, Ariana said, "I think they stiffed us. We're missing at least half a dozen sandwiches."

She got up to check the bags angrily. As she did, Sabrina caught Randy's eye and gave the smallest of head nods in the direction of Cnychwr's room.

"Fuck!" Ariana growled. "I really wanted a Rueben. Those assholes!"

"It's so hard to find a restaurant you can really trust these days," Randy offered, somehow keeping the knowing smile from his lips. "This Cuban is delightful. Would you like half?"

Ariana sighed and said, "Thank you. That'd be wonderful."

Twenty-Nine

Randy awoke with the sun the next morning thanks to the eastern facing windows of the master bedroom. He lay still for a moment and savored the incomparable sensation of a beautiful woman snuggled up against him without so much as a postage stamp's worth of clothing separating them. This feeling was made even more profound by Sabrina's actions from the prior evening. She had feigned a headache and asked Randy to come to bed and lie with her as soon as Lily had retired. However, once he closed the door to their room behind him, Sabrina's headache had vanished immediately. Instead, she took him to bed and gave him a lengthy massage while she made it clear precisely how much she supported his actions with respect to Lily.

As he replayed the previous evening in his mind, he realized he was no longer questioning if he loved Sabrina. It had become an immutable fact, like gravity or the superiority of 70's progressive rock over anything made since the turn of the millennium. He was, if anything, even more certain of her feelings for him. He had been waiting to voice his feelings until she gave him some sign that she would welcome such a gesture. But the more time that passed, the more he began to worry that it was she who was waiting for him to act first. As he considered it, he realized that not only was he dedicated to voice his feelings, he was anxious to do so.

He nearly woke Sabrina to do just that, but the beauty of her face as she slumbered was something he was powerless to interrupt. Instead, he carefully extricated himself from the bed and slipped into some shorts before leaving the room to prepare a pot of coffee.

Upon emerging from the bedroom, he scanned around the suite. He was relieved to see Lily's door still closed and hoped that it meant that she slumbered within rather than that she had snuck out and simply closed the door behind her. He noted Ariana's open door as merely a curiosity until he saw that Cnychwr's door was also open. He hurried in that direction, his mind already trying to come up with a reasonable explanation of the alien within for the sometimes mercurial, frequently troublesome pixie.

He peaked inside warily as he reached the door, unsure of what to expect. But certainly, the furthest thing from his mind was the thought that he would find Ariana determinedly searching the room with a flashlight and what appeared to be her phone recording a video.

"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped, a bit louder than he intended.

"Where is it?" she responded angrily.

"Where is what?"

"Don't play coy with me, sir. I know what you've got hidden in here. Now answer my goddamned question."

"Are you completely deranged?" Randy exclaimed self-righteously as he tried to surreptitiously scan the room for any sign of the alien.

"I'd ask you the same question. What were you thinking taking such a risk? You have children, for God's sake."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ariana. But I do believe this is very much the last straw."

"Not so fast, buster. You must think I'm such an idiot. Oh sure... it's totally normal to carry around an empty pet carrier that you guard like it's the Ark of the Covenant. Come on, Randy. I just want to meet it."

"This is ridiculous, Ariana."

"Really? You expect me to believe you're not traveling in the company of an..."

"What's going on, babe?" Sabrina asked tiredly from the door to their room.

Randy turned and said, "I woke up to find her snooping around in here." Sabrina's eyes widened momentarily before a grim expression settled over her features. Randy continued, "I told her I think it's time we went our separate ways."

"But..." Ariana began.

"I agree with Randy. I'm sorry, Ariana, but it's time for you to go."

Ariana stared between them for a moment before throwing up her hands and saying, "You know what? Fine. I'll go."

She took a few minutes to collect her belongings, during which time Randy stealthily closed the door to Cnychwr's room after taking a quick glance around inside. By the time Ariana was ready, he and Sabrina had positioned themselves on the living room's couch. Ariana stopped before them and said, "You have my number. I'll be in town for at least a couple days while I try to get my travel lined up. Hopefully you'll come to your senses before I leave, and I'll get to meet it. I assure you; I don't mean anyone any harm. I'm just terribly curious."

She stared at them a moment longer before sighing and walking from the suite. As the door closed behind her, Sabrina whispered, "What. The. Fuck?"

Randy shook his head and said, "No goddamned idea. I got up to make coffee and found her hunting around in there."

"How'd she find out about him?"

"No idea. She said it was just that she didn't buy our story about the pet carrier."

Sabrina frowned and said, "Hardly surprising. It wasn't a very good cover story. Do you think she found him?"

"I doubt it, based on the way she was talking. But I guess we should find out."

"You go. I'll keep an eye out for Lily. It would hardly do to make the same mistake again."

"Indeed. And please let me know if you think of a better cover story. Methinks we'll need it."

Randy entered Cnychwr's room slowly, unsure of what he expected to find. After closing the door behind him, he whispered, "Are you still in here?"

His anxiety started to skyrocket the longer he went without an answer. He started mimicking Ariana's search technique, peaking beneath and behind various pieces of furniture.

As he got down on the floor to look behind the toilet, he heard Cnychwr mutter, "What in the hell are you doing?"

"You're such an asshole," Randy grumbled as he got to his feet.

"What were you thinking allowing her to come in here?"

"I had no idea the thought had even occurred to her. I'll remind you that I'm not the one of us who's telepathic."

"I told you," Cnychwr seethed, "that I try to filter out your kind's ceaseless mental whinging. You're fortunate I erred on the side of caution and concealed my appearance when I heard the door open."

"I'm fortunate you weren't still three sheets to the wind on deep-fried reubens."

"If you're quite done with your endless abuse, I'd like to get back to sleep. Please see to it that no one enters my quarters until I am better rested."

Randy stalked from the room. As he closed the door, he whispered, "Suddenly I find that I desperately want something very bad to happen to you."

Cnychwr laughed and said, "If anyone disturbs me, Randall, you shall awaken with webbed fingers and neither eyes nor ears."

***

The afternoon found them still lounging around the suite. Sabrina had cracked the door on Lily's room only enough to verify their guest, who was thankfully sleeping peacefully, was still with them. Not wanting Lily to awaken and find the suite deserted, or even to discover Cnychwr inadvertently, the couple chose to stay in. It gave them a rare chance to enjoy each other's company unencumbered by the complications of traveling, and it was a welcome change.

They enjoyed a leisurely brunch before retiring to the couch where, resisting the modern impulse of flicking on the television, they had instead just sat and talked. Sitting in the relative calm of the suite and sharing stories seemed like the most natural thing in the world. Sabrina had a way about her Randy which had labeled 'lovingly acerbic'. She was always quick to bust his balls about the slightest faux paus, but it was always done in a way where he knew she was trying to make him laugh rather than belittle him. And she not only welcomed Randy to respond in kind; she demanded it.

It was in this spirit that the occasion of Randy's phone autocorrecting 'meeting' to 'mating' in a text he had sent to his admin suggesting a company-wide event be placed on the calendar for the following week, had them both literally rolling on the floor with laughter. One of them likely would have passed out from lack of oxygen had not a soft voice asked, "What's going on?"

Randy and Sabrina immediately popped up from behind the couch like a pair of prairie dogs, causing Lily to hop backwards in fright. Their resumption of howling laughter at Lily's expression likely did nothing to dissuade their guest from the belief that they were both quite insane.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Sabrina managed to get to her feet and say, "We were just discussing the vagaries of modern technology. How did you sleep?"

"Good," Lily replied quietly. "You?"

"We slept well."

"Where's the other woman?"

"She left," Randy supplied. "And I don't suspect she'll return."

"Was it because of me?" Lily asked worriedly.

"Of course not," Sabrina soothed. "In all honesty, she violated our trust and we asked her to leave."

"Oh," Lily whispered before looking around cautiously.

Sabrina rounded the couch and crossed the room towards Lily, stopping just a meter shy of the shorter woman as the latter's eyes grew wide. Sabrina started to reach out for her, but thought better of it and instead settled for clasping her hands in front of her and saying, "Are you hungry?"

Lily nodded meekly, prompting Randy to stand and say, "You two have a seat. I'll go grab us some vittles. Any requests?"

Lily shook her head and Sabrina smiled at him and said, "You know what I like, babe."

Randy grabbed his effects and said, "Be back shortly."

He was relieved to see Lily settling onto the couch with Sabrina as he left.

Pulling out of the parking deck, he lowered the roof of the Mustang and soaked in the unbridled insanity surrounding him. Everywhere he looked, there were things that seemed far more alien than the six-legged creature sleeping off a deep-fried sandwich hangover back in the hotel suite. Whether it was monolithic monuments to the ego of a fascist former president or the bukkake fountain performing a routine to bombastic classical music; nothing made logical sense.

He considered that it might be necessary for them to relocate if Lily's fears were centered on either Vegas, or people who lived there. This thought made him realize that he would, without hesitation, suggest such a move at even the slightest hint that it might bring a smile to her face. He was unsure what made him so protective over her other than the unforgettable look he had seen in her eyes the previous evening when he had approached her. He was sure there were plenty of people in similar circumstances in this town, but fate in the guise of a grumpy alien had led him to Lily, and he intended to do everything in his power to help her.

He opted to hit an S-Mart and pick up items to prepare a healthy meal, since they had been subsisting almost exclusively on room service and fast food since leaving Fort Collins. He also sought to replenish their supplies in other areas, trying to anticipate what Lily might need. He wondered ruefully how any male who had not been married for multiple decades, in addition to raising a now adult daughter, could ever hope to accomplish such a task. He tried to guestimate Lily's sizes based on the fact that she was only slightly taller than Jennifer with a similar body type other than larger breasts and bought her clothes he hoped would be comfortable without being even remotely revealing. By the time he had added everything he could think of which might be of use to either of his companions, his cart was overflowing.

Upon returning to the hotel, he found himself absconding a luggage cart to take the supplies to the room, which led to not a few strange looks as he traversed the lobby. The reaction was even more pronounced when he returned to the suite, with Sabrina first leaping excitedly off the couch and Lily then following, albeit more subdued.

"What'd you do?" Sabrina gasped.

"I went shopping," Randy replied with an embarrassed shrug.

He then plucked a drink from the fridge and settled on the couch to watch Sabrina and Lily sort through his purchases. From this vantage point, he spotted the first smile he had ever seen cross Lily's features, and all was right with the world.

Thirty

Sunset that evening found Randy still seated comfortably in the suite's living room with Sabrina by his side and Lily seated in the neighboring armchair wearing one of the outfits he had bought for her. The haul he had brought back from the store had broken the seal on Lily's hesitation and she had quickly grown, if not comfortable with Randy and Sabrina, then no longer afraid of them.

Lily had made it clear she had no desire to leave the suite, although her specific motivations were still unclear. Sabrina and Randy had spent the day trying to gently pry more of her history from her but all they had managed to ascertain was that she was utterly alone. While she was close-lipped on her fears and history, she was effusively friendly and endlessly curious about her new benefactors. She seemed particularly interested in their families, which gave Randy some rather dark thoughts on Lily's own past.

After a day spent lounging around and talking, they were starting to get a bit of cabin fever. As they sat around the living room tossing around various ideas for what to do, Randy was heartened to see that Lily was showing some willingness to leave the room, so long as they agreed to leave the hotel altogether and stick to upper middle-class residential areas.

They had just agreed upon a restaurant when they heard a knock at the door. Randy climbed to his feet and headed in that direction. Before he could place his eye to the peep hole, there was a crash against the door followed shortly by it slamming open. He was knocked violently to the floor and just missed banging his head against the corner of the wall.

"What the fuck?" he gasped at once with shouts of fear coming from Sabrina and Lily.

He tried to get to his feet but was quickly forced down by a serious looking man wearing all black. Glancing around, he saw two more similarly dressed figures surging into the suite. Sabrina growled in anger when the larger of the two assailants approaching them placed zip-ties over her wrists, but Lily merely submitted meekly. Randy's assailant yanked him to his feet and roughly led him over to where the women had been forced none too gently onto the couch before binding his wrists.

"Search the place," a familiar voice ordered, prompting the larger two of the assailants to fan out and start what seemed a simultaneously thorough and ridiculous search which included searching places like the toaster oven and the freezer.

"Ariana?" Sabrina whispered.

The smallest of the invaders turned to face her and pulled her mask down before sliding her hood back.

"Very good," Ariana declared regally. "Now, why don't y'all tell me where it is. I assure you that your cooperation won't go unnoticed."

The trio of captives did not dignify Ariana's statement with a response, so the latter shrugged and started searching Cnychwr's room.

"What do we do?" Sabrina whispered fiercely.

Before Randy could formulate a reply, Lily whispered, "What does she want?"

Randy could only shrug helplessly as they watched the search commence. Ariana was busily slicing open the mattress of Cnychwr's room while her goons were dedicated to the task of disassembling the ice maker.

Ariana's gaze fell upon them, and she groaned in frustration before stomping over to them.

"I think we can proceed on the assumption that it's roughly the shape of a cat or a dog, considering the carrier they carried it around in."

"The boss said to leave no stone unturned," the smaller goon replied.

"Tell you what, if we haven't found it in ten minutes, you can take apart every goddamned appliance in this place. But, until then, lets optimize our search a bit lest this fucking thing escape while you're busy with this bullshit."

The goon shrugged and said, "Whatever."

Their search resumed with the goons focusing on trashing the remaining bedrooms. Ariana returned to her captives and regarded them for a moment, a weary frown on her face.

"Just tell me where it is, Randy, before those morons completely destroy this place. I can't imagine you're looking forward to this damage bill."

Randy shook his head in disgust and said, "Why are you doing this?"

"Because we must have it. You guys might be sitting on the most important scientific discovery of the century, but you're too busy fucking each other's brains out to care."

"Is that what this is about?" Sabrina asked. "The fact that we changed our minds about sleeping together?"

"Look who has an outsized opinion of herself," Ariana replied nastily. "Do you honestly think I just happened to walk up to you two at Four Corners? I was sent there to find you. To find it."

"What made you think we had anything worth bothering with?" Randy asked.

"NSA flagged some chatter between Colorado and the Czech Republic with some very intriguing key words. Namely: kidnapping, sexual assault, mind control and alien. Fortunately, that young lady made quite a few calls to her home country. You should be glad we found you first, Randy. The things her brothers promised to do if they found you sounded quite unpleasant."

"That's such bullshit," Sabrina spat. "You were with us for plenty long enough to get a sense of Randy's character, Ariana. Do you really think he's capable of something like that?"

"Oh, honey," Ariana enthused without sincerity. "I've met all kinds of terrible people in my time with the agency. Hardly any of them announced all of their abhorrent predilections when first meeting someone. Maybe you're right and Randy's just as great a guy as he seems. But I wouldn't bet on it."

"Fuck you! Cunt!"

"Charming," Ariana murmured before turning toward the bedrooms and calling, "Find anything yet?"

"Certainly nothing the size of a house pet," the smaller one replied nastily.

"Fine," Ariana huffed. "Get back in here. Maybe we can get some info out of these three the old-fashioned way." The smaller assailant hurried into the room with a wicked gleam in his eye. Ariana continued, "Start with the shorter one. Mr. Vettel's got a real soft spot for her."

"Don't fucking do it," Randy spat as he tried to get to his feet.

Ariana turned to face him and said, "Just tell me where it is, and everyone will be fine."

Randy regarded her for a moment, and a triumphant look flashed across her face. But, as he considered his options, he realized that their only hope of leaving this room with their freedom lay in them not finding Cnychwr. Were he to be discovered, he could not imagine a government organization, which was almost certainly what Ariana meant by 'the agency', would let them go if they had been in the company of an alien for a significant amount of time.

"Just remember," Ariana sighed. "You had your chance."

The goon yanked Lily to her feet and drug her over to a chair into which he forced her. He produced a roll of duct tape from his bag and bound her firmly to the chair before producing a wicked looking knife. Just as he held the knife to her throat, the second goon shrieked in surprise.

"It's here!" he yelped in a falsetto voice. "Guys! Come quick! I found it under the covers!"

Ariana spared a parting glance at the other goon, saying, "Watch them, but don't damage them unnecessarily," before hurrying to find the second goon in Cnychwr's room.

"Too bad, honey," the goon snarled before putting his knife away.

Randy was shaking with fury at the danger she had faced, but he still managed to notice that throughout the ordeal, Lily had never displayed any fear, only glum resignation.

Shortly, Ariana strutted victoriously into the room, holding an apparently unconscious Cnychwr by the back of the neck. "See!" she cried. "I told you we'd find it. Does it talk? Where's it from? Where did you find it?"

"I'm not telling you shit," Randy seethed.

"We'll see. We're all going to take a little ride to somewhere a little less public. I'm certain you'll be more than anxious to tell us everything once we arrive." She turned to the larger goon and said, "Call the transport team. Tell them, Condition Gamma."

He spoke briefly on a microphone clipped to his vest before saying, "Seven minutes."

"Excellent," Ariana said to the taller goon. "You stay here and watch the prisoners. I'm going to go fetch the containment unit. You," she said, addressing the smaller goon, "look around for anything else which might prove useful. And, for fuck's sake, make sure you don't leave any equipment behind this time."

Ariana left the suite to a muttered, "Bitch," from the smaller goon. She returned moments later with what initially appeared to be a room service cart. However, she lifted a lid, which no room service cart contained, to reveal a sterile looking hollow area which looked to be less than half a cubic meter. She retrieved Cnychwr's unmoving form from the goon who still held him and dropped him unceremoniously into the enclosure before slamming the lid down. She then returned to Cnychwr's room, presumably to search for his ray-gun or tricorder.

Randy raged at his helplessness. He suspected they were all as good as dead once the transport team Ariana had mentioned arrived. He knew Sabrina shared his thoughts because he could see the fear written on her expression. He strained against his bonds, causing the zip-tie to dig painfully into his skin, but it seemed hopeless. He felt the seconds ticking away, the image of a quickly emptying hourglass springing into his imagination. He took a deep breath and strained with all his might at his bonds which, once again, failed to snap. He did, however, feel his hand start to slip from the zip-tie's grip on him. He shifted his focus from breaking the bond to slipping his hand from it. To his great surprise, he was able to pull his left hand free.

Before anyone could notice his freedom, or before some dark recess of his consciousness had a chance to point out his foolishness, he surged to his feet and swung at the goon with every ounce of his strength. His fist connected solidly with the man's cheek, which had not been Randy's target, knocking him to the ground. Randy pressed his advantage, pouncing on the man and smashing the large ceramic Japanese rock garden from the coffee table over his head.

"Holy shit," Sabrina whispered. "That was incredible."

"Thanks," Randy muttered in agreement since he had no clear idea how he had managed to take out the skilled thug. "We've got to get Cnychwr out of that thing."

Sabrina and Randy rushed to the disguised room service cart while Lily watched them with detached interest. Randy knew he owed her a lengthy explanation, but he reasoned that could wait until their freedom was assured. Sabrina busied herself looking for a catch which would release the lid while Randy concentrated on a more brute force approach using a collapsible baton he had found on the unconscious assailant.

"Ok," Ariana's voice rang out. "I think I've cleared the... what the hell?"

Randy and Sabrina turned to find Ariana hurrying in their direction. Ariana extracted a baton similar to the one Randy held and snapped it out to its full length, a mask of determination on her features. She headed right for Randy, swinging the baton at his head without preamble. He managed to deflect the blow with his own baton, but not without a searing pain shooting up his arm as Ariana's baton grazed across his knuckles.

"Fuck," he breathed as he did his damnedest to avoid dropping the baton.

Ariana reared back to take another swing, forcing Randy to grimly decide that he had no choice but to at least attempt to defeat her despite a spotless track record when it came to even the suggestion of violence toward women.

Before he could act, Sabrina flashed across his vision as she delivered a wicked hammer fist to Ariana's temple. This was quickly followed by an elbow to the chin which knocked Ariana to the floor. Sabrina leapt on her like a lioness taking down a gazelle, ripping the mask she had used to conceal her face from her neck and cramming it in her mouth before efficiently restraining her with some zip ties she found in Ariana's pouch.

"Bitch," Sabrina muttered spitefully before returning to her task of trying to free Cnychwr.

Randy returned to her side, unable to keep the hint of a smile from his lips. "I'm not going to lie," he whispered. "That was pretty fucking amazing."

"I look forward to a detailed retrospective where you can recount all your favorite moments while we make love. But, right now, we need to free our little blue friend so we can get the fuck out of here."

"Agreed," Randy replied, a playful gleam in his eye. He turned to Lily, who was watching them with a great deal of interest. He said, "Can you look in the kitchen for something we can use to open this?"

At his request, she nodded seriously and hurried off with purpose. He watched her go, still filled with more questions than answers about the enigmatic newcomer.

Just as he turned back to the device which imprisoned Cnychwr, he heard a growling voice mutter, "Well looky what we have here."

Randy turned to spot the final assailant making his way out of the master bedroom. As he approached, he pulled his knife from his vest and brandished it before him. He grinned wickedly at Randy and menacingly growled, "I'm gonna enjoy this."

Randy moved slowly toward the goon in hopes of creating some distance from Sabrina. As the man approached, Randy thought back to the year of martial arts he had taken with Peter when the latter was eleven. The class had been more about getting in shape for Randy than defending himself, but he had still walked away with several valuable lessons. Months of sparring sessions flashed through his head in an instant as he tried to plot out a strategy to defeat his armed, and obviously malignant, opponent. He dropped into a ready stance and lifted his fists in preparation. This only served to make his foe smile bigger.

Just as he passed the entry way to the kitchen on his way toward Randy, there was a loud thud. The goon's eyes widened briefly before he slumped onto his knees. Lily dashed from the kitchen, cast-iron skillet in hand, and dealt another blow to the back of his head, prompting him to fall lifelessly onto his face. Lily took a step to stand over him and delivered a final blow to the back of his skull.

She stood over him like an Amazon and whispered, "Don't ever touch me," through gritted teeth.

Randy approached her cautiously, but she simply handed him the bloody skillet when he was in reach before placidly saying, "Will this help?"

He stared between the cooking implement and Lily several times before finally saying, "It might."

He rushed back over to the cart and said, "Stand back."

He brought the skillet down on what he seemed to remember being the part of the cart containing the locking mechanism. He thought he felt it give a bit, so he turned to his companions and said, "We've got, at most, two minutes before the calvary arrives. If we're still here when that happens, we're fucked. Grab whatever's most important but do it fast. We're leaving in thirty seconds."

Both women spring into action as Randy delivered another blow to the cart. This time, he was certain he felt something give, so he reversed the skillet to try to use its handle to pry open the lid. Thirty seconds later, he heard a pop and the lid slowly opened to reveal a very conscious Cnychwr regarding him with an inscrutable expression.

"Took you long enough," the alien snapped.

"Asshole," Randy muttered before shouting, "It's go time."

Both women hurried from the bedrooms; Lily carrying her hastily packed belongings and Sabrina carrying their laptop bags along with one other small case. He looked longingly at the room, thinking of all their belongings she had not had time to grab which could be used to identify them.

Sabrina groaned in frustration and said, "I got everything I could. It's not like they won't know who was in here. Your name's on the room."

"Fair enough," Randy replied despondently. "Let's go."

Cnychwr climbed onto his back and promptly disappeared, eliciting a soft gasp from Lily.

Sabrina whispered, "I swear we'll explain everything. Later."

Randy led them from the room, and they hurried to the stairwell. As the door closed behind them, they could hear the elevator doors opening and the sounds of many booted feet hurrying toward their suite.

Thirty-One

"Is anyone following us?" Randy asked tersely as they pulled rather quickly out of the parking deck, causing a shower of sparks as they bottomed out on a speed bump.

"I don't think so," Lily replied with a tremor in her voice.

"Are you girls ok?"

"I'm fine," Cnychwr grumbled from his spot next to Lily.

"Sabrina, honey?" Randy pressed, sparing a glance to her in the passenger seat.

"I'm fine. Lily? How you holding up?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose."

Randy grimaced inwardly at what they were putting her through. He glanced at the review mirror to find her staring at him expectantly. He said, "I know we owe you an explanation. But, right now, we need to create some distance between ourselves and whoever is looking for our friend back there."

"She must have found us based on the car," Sabrina observed. "She walked right up to us at Four Corners. Unless she did that to every single couple who came through there, that's the only explanation."

"I suspect you're right," Randy replied. He glanced at the clock on the dash and saw that, impossibly, it was still barely dinner time. He consulted the in-dash GPS before heading for the city's dealership district. Destination set, he continued, "We need to do more than get rid of the car. These assholes might have us tagged six-ways to Sunday."

Lily said, "You will need to get rid of nearly everything you grabbed. That means ditching your phones, your credit cards. Anything they could use to track you. I can help you with VPN software which will hide you on the internet, but you should replace your phones and get as much cash as you can."

Sabrina turned to regard her for several moments before reaching out to take her hand and saying, "Thank you, Lily. And thank you for saving us back at the hotel. We are in your hands."

Lily smiled shyly in response before saying, "That store up on the left sells prepaid phones."

Thereafter followed several anxious hours filled with busily hiding themselves. Randy internally raged at how long it took, but he was as much a culprit as any of them. For each step they took towards anonymity, someone would think of something that must be done first. Replacing their phones seemed straightforward until Sabrina gently suggested he call Holy and Peter to let them know he would not be able to communicate other than email for a little while.

There had also been the small fact that even in Vegas, suburban banks close long before the sun sets. He had thus been forced to make a final call from his soon-to-be-former phone to convince his administrative assistant to visit her local S-Mart and buy one-hundred five-hundred-dollar pre-paid cards under the auspices of them being corporate gifts. She would then pay cash to overnight them to a store Sabrina had found which would accept packages for a fee due on pick-up.

This sorted, Randy visited a series of ATM's, withdrawing the maximum allowable amount until his bank's fraud protection kicked in. He was both relieved and irritated that he managed to get eight-thousand dollars before the card was deactivated.

They finally made it to the dealership district three hours after departing the hotel and found that only a handful were still open. Randy slowly drove by each, giving their inventory a once over before pulling into the one that looked the least like they sold cars which had, in a previous life, been involved in multiple homicides.

As they parked, a portly salesman with slicked back hair emerged from the showroom. His eyes skated quickly over Randy, likely doing little more than trying to determine the size of his bank account. But, when he looked to Sabrina, and especially Lily, his eyes lingered.

At long last, he looked back to Randy and said, "Help you folks?"

"Nope," Randy growled. "Go inside and send someone else out here. Maybe we'll do business if they manage to keep their eyes to themselves."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Get someone else or we're leaving."

"Whatever," the salesman huffed before heading inside.

"Randy," Lily began. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, he did," Sabrina interjected quietly, sliding closer to Lily.

Before Lily could respond, another salesman, who looked as skeevy as the first, emerged. He had clearly been prepared, because he did no more than glance in the direction of the women before locking eyes with Randy.

Randy said, "We need a cash offer on this," he gestured to the Mustang. "How long will that take?"

The salesman's eyes gave the Mustang the same treatment his predecessor had given Lily. Randy thought he might have even spotted a hint of the salesman hoping he would be the one to drive the Mustang home that evening. "Thirty minutes. You looking to trade it in or just get rid of it?"

"The former. And, before you ask, I own it outright."

"That'll make things much simpler. Why don't you folks have a look around while I have my guy take a look at it?"

Randy tossed him the keys before taking Sabrina's hand to head out into the lot. He shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, hoping Cnychwr would take the hint and stop digging his claws into Randy's back.

Lily, who was following close behind, whispered, "I can hold him, if you like."

"It's ok," Randy replied gratefully. "I just wish he'd stop wiggling."

"I do not wiggle," Cnychwr grumbled before hopping off Randy's back altogether.

"Stay close," Randy whispered to their invisible companion. "These places are like mazes, and we know how much difficulty you have with keeping track of your location."

"You, sir, are a cataclysmic asshole."

As they walked through the parking lot, Randy and Sabrina quietly brought Lily up to speed on the fourth member of their party. Lily proved to be very bright indeed, having picked up everything from context clues other than the specifics of how long Cnychwr had been traveling with Randy and exactly what had transpired with Olga. This latter point prompted Randy to once again face the fact that, while Cnychwr had been the primary motivator behind what had taken place with her, he was certainly not without blame.

Upon voicing this, Sabrina stopped him with a hand on his chest and said, "We've been over this, baby, and you're a fool if you still think you're the bad guy here. Any other guy would have fucked her without a second thought. But you took the more deliberate approach because you're a good man, and because you'd never be content with a roll in the hay. That's why things didn't work out with Ariana and why you'd never have gone all the way with Olga."

He shook his head and said, "I was literally moments away from going all the way with her when I figured out what was happening."

"I wasn't there," Sabrina replied confidently. "But I know you, baby. And I will go to my grave convinced that you would have noticed the absence of emotional connection before it was too late, no matter how much your dick wanted to go for it."

"I agree with Sabrina," Lily quietly added.

"How?" Randy asked in amazement.

Sabrina reassuringly squeezed his hand before looping her arm around Lily's waist as the latter said, "Because you are a good person. I know you're attracted to me Randy." She glanced shyly at Sabrina and said, "I know you both are."

She looked back to Randy and said, "You've been very respectful, but you're also not dead. You can hardly be blamed if your eyes sometimes linger for a moment. But even when I took off my clothes and threw myself at you, you didn't even give a moment's thought to taking me. Because you knew it wasn't what I wanted. Same with that jerk back there. You're a protector." She looked away timidly and whispered, "A lover." She looked back at him and said, "You took that girl in for the same reason you did with me. Because you felt we were in trouble. You would never abuse that position of power simply for your own sexual gratification. Sabrina and I are aligned on this, and nothing you can say will convince us otherwise."

Sabrina squeezed Lily in a one-armed hug and said, "See?" She then whispered into Lily's ear, "I knew I liked you."

"I like you too," Lily replied coquettishly.

"How about this one?" Randy asked, gesturing to a black Japanese grand tourer.

Sabrina bit her lip in thought before replying, "I really like your car, Randy. And I know you love it. But perhaps we might consider a different body style? You know, because we're looking to stay off the radar of whoever's chasing us?"

"Not to mention the fact that your ridiculous racecar is entirely too cramped," Cnychwr grumbled.

"He's got a point," Sabrina added. "The Mustang is perfect for two. I'll never forget that day we drove through the mountains with the top down for hours before a passerby noticed."

Lily grinned and said, "Why would that be noteworthy?"

"Because the car wasn't the only thing not wearing a top," Sabrina replied with a playful grin.

Randy smiled at the memory and said, "You're not making the switch to a boring car easier, honey."

"I'll take my top off whenever you want, babe," Sabrina promised. She then glanced at Lily and said, "So long as no one is opposed." Lily said nothing, but it was hard to miss the blush on her cheeks. Sabrina smirked and said, "You could always join me, honey. I'll try not to be too jealous of your hall-of-fame tits."

"Surely, you jest," Lily murmured, looking away shyly.

"Sister, I never jest about tits. How about that one?"

"A conversion van?" Randy scoffed.

"Why not? It's got plenty of room. Not to mention it could double as a hotel in a pinch. And it's about the furthest thing from a grand tourer that you could imagine."

"Well, at least it's from a reliable brand," he allowed after spotting the blue oval on the front grill. "And if they don't offer at least twenty K more than that sticker price for the Mustang, I'll report them to the Better Business Bureau."

"Perhaps you should negotiate, instead," Sabrina suggested. "Considering we might be federal fugitives."

Randy shook his head ruefully and said, "Indeed."

An hour later, they pulled off the lot in the van which was as old as his youngest child. Lily and Sabrina both sat in the captain's chairs in the middle of the vehicle and were delighting in pointing out the anachronisms to each other. They found the presence of a tube-style television and VHS player to be especially amusing. Randy was just glad the vehicle seemed to be in good working order. The ten thousand in cash he had netted did not hurt his mood either.

He had engaged in a protracted negotiation in which he had insisted the transaction be kept off the books which eventually led to the salesman purchasing the van for himself from the dealer and then turning around and selling it to Randy at a ten-percent markup. Randy knew this ruse would, if anything, only cause a modest delay in a government organization in finding out the details of their new car, but he would take every advantage he could get. Especially when it meant that the federal database used by traffic cops would show the vehicle's owner as the salesman for at least another month.

They drove north out of town until the lights of Vegas in the night sky had faded from their review mirror before beginning to look for a hotel which would accept cash. Randy had chosen north mostly due to the many conversations they had had in Ariana's presence about continuing west from Vegas.

As they drove, he considered for the first time what they should do outside of seeing to their immediate needs. Cnychwr had made it clear he wished to be taken to Silicon Valley in hopes of constructing a device which he could utilize to orchestrate his own rescue. Sabrina still seemed content to go wherever he went, which never failed to amaze him and reminded him that they were long overdue for a serious conversation.

Lily, on the other hand, had been quiet when the subject of their future came up. He looked in the mirror at her, smiling to himself at the way she was emerging from her shell. They still knew next to nothing about her past, but he found he was more committed than ever to providing some measure of happiness to her life. However, this realization brought with it the insight that he could not truly help her unless he knew more about her.

He abruptly took the off-ramp they had been about to pass, eliciting a grumble from Cnychwr who was curled up in the passenger seat. Randy glanced apologetically in the review mirror and said, "It just occurred to me that none of us have eaten since brunch. Why don't we refuel while we discuss our next move?"

"Oh my goodness," Lily exclaimed. "I'm so glad you said something. I'm starving."

"You should have said something," Sabrina chided gently.

Randy merely mentally patted himself on the back while he tried to plot out a strategy to discover more about Lily without scaring her off.

Thirty-Two

After a brief bio break, the humans emerged from the burger joint carrying a veritable feast. Upon reaching the van, Randy drove them to a secluded parking lot and parked out of sight of the road. The van allowed them to turn the front seats around so they could each face the table which could be set up in the center of the vehicle.

Lily watched with a mixture of admiration and revulsion as Cnychwr rapidly polished off three burgers before belching loudly and slumping back in his seat.

"What a lush," Sabrina muttered.

"What do you mean?" Lily asked worriedly. "Is he going to be ok?"

"Junk food does to him what a bottle of whiskey would do to us. He's not sure why, but he can't get enough of the stuff. First day I met him, he'd polished off God knows how many pizzas before making an apocalyptic mess of his room."

"I see. Is that likely to happen this time?"

"He's learned a bit of moderation. Kind of like a middle-aged alcoholic. He's still constantly jonesing for the stuff, but he can typically stop short of the point where a hazmat team is required."

"Thank goodness for that," Lily sighed before taking another bite of her own burger.

Randy ate in silence for another moment before looking to Lily and saying, "I want to preface what I'm about to say by swearing that neither of us will judge you for your past. I can't imagine there's anything you could tell us which would convince us you're something other than an amazingly admirable woman. But we need to know what you're running from, honey. I also want to assure you that if there's any where you'd like us to take you, you need only say the word. I involved you in all this mess without your consent, but no one knows anything but your first name. You can still walk away from all of this unscathed."

Lily sighed and said, "Hamilton."

"Pardon?"

"My name is Lily Hamilton. I'm from a town you've never heard of in Utah, and I can assure you that no one is looking for me. At least no one from the town where I grew up. I suppose it's possible that the cops in Vegas will be displeased when I don't show up for court next week, but I can't imagine they'll throw up much of a fuss over a misdemeanor."

Sabrina took her hand and said, "I'm so sorry, honey."

"Why? It's just a fine. And it's not like I'm not guilty."

Sabrina shook her head and said, "Not for that, although I hate that you had to go through what I'm sure was a dehumanizing experience. I meant the pain and sorrow we heard in your voice when you mentioned your hometown."

A tear slid slowly down Lily's cheek and the expression on her face left little doubt there were plenty more on the way. Sabrina pulled Lily into a hug without hesitation, stroking her long auburn hair reassuringly as she held her.

At length, Sabrina said, "You can tell us, honey."

"That's what they said," Lily murmured into Sabrina's shoulder. "They promised everything would be fine if I would just tell them what was the matter."

"But they lied, didn't they?"

"Every God damned one of them. My family, my congregation, everyone."

"You ran away," Randy stated rather than asked. "That's why you're so adept at losing yourself."

Lily nodded morosely before saying, "Not that they ever bothered to look. Turns out they couldn't have been happier about the troublesome girl who wouldn't bow to their quote wisdom unquote disappearing in the middle of the night."

"Did they," Sabrina began before her voice broke. She took a deep breath and continued, "Did they harm you?"

"No," Lily said quickly before adding, "Not really. I mean, I caught my fair share of beatings when I was growing up. And later, after I was indentured, I was obviously punished whenever I disobeyed. But they didn't rape me, if that's what you meant."

"Physical abuse is hardly better than sexual abuse," Sabrina observed darkly.

Randy steeled himself to not respond, at least visibly to the answer he feared he would receive, before asking, "What do you mean... indentured?"

"When I refused the family my parents chose for me to marry into, I was indentured to them as recompense for the dowry they'd lost."

She had answered without emotion, and without any seeming indication that the situation she had described was abhorrent to all but the most broken humans.

Randy asked, "How old were you?"

"My parents accepted the dowry when I was seven. Apparently, I was considered unusually pretty, even at that age. The marriage was scheduled to take place on my sixteenth birthday."

"But that's below the age of consent," Sabrina gasped. "Even in Utah."

"My family's religion does not consider itself subject to the laws of man," Lily replied angrily. "My husband-to-be assured my father that he would wait until I was older before taking my maidenhead, although I cannot imagine he believed him. After all, all of his other wives gave birth before they turned seventeen."

"Jesus," Randy breathed.

"Exactly," Lily agreed. "We were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. I despised my husband-to-be from the moment I met him, but I was prepared to go ahead with the marriage for the good of my family, and my community. But then, two weeks before the wedding, I found one of my future co-wives hiding in our barn. She looked as if she had been attacked by a bear, but when I started to call for help, she begged me to remain quiet."

"He beat them," Randy whispered.

"Yes," Lily replied with quiet conviction. "Whenever they disobeyed him to even the slightest degree."

Sabrina shook her head and disgust and asked, "And your community, your church, did nothing?"

Lily shook her head and said, "His wives had been commanded by almighty God to obey their husband. In the eyes of everyone I knew, it was his wives who had sinned."

"Fucking monsters."

"I agree. I knew at once that I could not allow the wedding to happen. Once I announced my decision to my family, they immediately went to my betrothed and told him everything. He gave them a choice, return the dowry or indenture me. He knew full well they could not return the money. They had used it to expand the house. So, I was indentured for ten years."

"How long did it take you to escape?"

"I did not escape. That would have brought shame on my family. Instead, I completed my term. I endured every beating, every demeaning thing that... man... said to me. But when I tried to return to my family, they acted as if they didn't know me. I begged them to take me back, but my father left me on the doorstep like a common beggar."

"Oh, honey," Sabrina sobbed, holding Lily close. "Those fucking assholes don't deserve to clean your bathroom, much less call you family."

Lily sighed and said, "Eventually, my brother came out and explained that they had been shamed by my refusal. And because other girls had made a similar choice because of my example. He said I was a threat to their entire way of life. He offered me some money if I promised to leave and never return. What choice did I have?

"The money he gave me only lasted a few weeks. And, as plenty of people have pointed out, I have no work history so the only jobs I could get were the lowest paying. And even those tended to only last a day or two until they found someone who would take even less. Eventually, I found myself in Vegas trying to find work as a waitress. I did not even make enough to buy food, much less afford an apartment. Then, one night, a man offered to pay me a thousand dollars if I would sleep with him."

"That's a lot of money," Sabrina observed quietly.

"Indeed, it is. Unfortunately, he was a police officer, and I was arrested for solicitation."

"That's such bullshit!" Randy exploded. "That's entrapment."

Lily nodded and said, "Fortunately, the judge agreed with you and charges were dropped. But I still lost my job."

"How long ago was that?"

Lily sighed and said, "I wish I could say that was just before you met me and that I still hadn't defiled myself. I used to dream I'd be rescued by a noble and handsome man who would take me away from all the ugliness which had come to define who I was. But I eventually came to realize that I had grown beyond saving."

"It was never who you were, honey," Sabrina whispered soothingly. "You're still that brave woman who stared a monster in the eye and told him he would never have what he sought."

She nodded sadly and said, "But I'm also the woman who sullied herself with hundreds of faceless men to whom I was nothing more than a set of big tits and a warm place to shove their cock. I'll never know the name of the man I lost my virginity to, only that he smelled of garlic and wore another woman's wedding ring. I wanted to get out, more than you could even imagine. But the money never seemed to be enough to allow me to move on to something better."

It was silent in the van for a moment, their food long since forgotten in the wake of Lily's cataclysmic confession. At length, Randy whispered, "Lily?" She looked up at him questioningly, but there was no mistaking the bravery in her soul. He said, "It's all over, honey. You'll never have to defile yourself ever again. I swear it." She could only nod in response, but he felt like he could see a small portion of the weight she carried lift from her shoulders. He continued, "What's the name of your hometown, sweetheart?"

"Why?"

"Because there are some folks there I'd like to have a word with."

"You don't have to do that, Randy. That's my past. I'd just as soon be done with it."

"But there are still innocents there, honey. Other girls who will be made to marry monsters. Other daughters who will be cast out by their families if they follow your example. Someone has to do something, or the cycle will continue."

"But this isn't your fight," she whispered. "You've got the government chasing after you because you're harboring an alien. Besides, you love Sabrina. I'm just a dumb hooker you're being way too nice to."

"You've never been just anything," Randy growled. "You're an amazing and admirable woman, and I'll be forever grateful that I met you." He took a deep breath before continuing, "But, you're right about one thing. I do love Sabrina." Sabrina gasped and stared at him with wide eyes. He smiled at her and said, "I love you, baby. I have for a while. I was worried giving voice to my feelings could pressure you, but we've been through too much for you to go another second without you knowing that." He looked back to Lily and said, "I've never told her that before today. But, somehow, it seems fitting you were here to witness it."

Sabrina crawled over to him and said, "I love you too, babe. I wasn't sure at first. I've never been in love before. But there's no other word for it." She kissed him thoroughly, but briefly, the promise of more to come once they reached their overnight stop left unspoken, but unmistakable. "I love you, Randy Vettel." She then took her seat and reached out for Lily's hand, smiling at her warmly.

"I shouldn't be here," Lily sobbed. "You too are just so beautiful together. I'll just ruin it."

"You will not!" Sabrina declared. "You are our friend and comrade. Our lives are richer for your presence. You are obviously free to do as you wish, but I sincerely hope you'll stay. I agree with Randy that something must be done about your hometown. Besides, I think we were meant to rescue you from that hotel. Like our fate is linked in some way we've yet to discover. And, by the way, your dream came true. You'll never meet a nobler, or more handsome, man than Randy."

Lily visibly considered everything for a moment before coming to a decision. When she did, her back grew straighter and her eyes twinkled with newfound purpose. She reached out for Randy's hand to pair with the hand of Sabrina's she already held. She glanced between them and said, "I'll go. But you must swear to me that I won't be in the way. Your love is one of the most beautiful things I've ever encountered, and I'd never forgive myself if I got in the way of that."

"We promise," Sabrina and Randy replied with a shared smile.

Thirty-Three

"Yes!" Sabrina hissed as Randy thrust his throbbing cock into her soaked core. "Oh, fuck! That's good."

"You have no idea," Randy whispered before seizing her nipple with his lips.

Sabrina wrapped her legs around him and forced him deeper into her, a look of wanton anticipation on her face.

"I am madly in love with you," she panted.

"I love you too, baby."

"But, right now, I want you to fuck me."

"Your wish is my command," Randy growled before pulling out and flipping her over onto her belly. She started to rise up on all fours, but he took her hands and stretched them out before her, holding both her wrists in one of his own. He lined his cock up with her entrance after briefly teasing her puckered star to elicit a worried groan from his partner. Before she could speak, he buried himself in her depths.

"Gods, you feel good," she gasped as he bottomed out.

"You feel perfect," he whispered in her ear as he slammed his cock home once more.

Holding her hands above her head meant his body was, as near as makes no difference, completely covering hers. But he knew with complete conviction that she was loving the sensation of his control. A grunt of pleasure escaped her lips each time he slammed into her.

He licked along her neck possessively, resisting the urge to mark her despite her whimpers begging him to do just that. He slid his free hand beneath her, palming her breast and exalting in the feeling of her nipple pebbling against his palm.

"I love you so fucking much," she whispered hoarsely.

"I. Love. You. Too," he grunted in time with his thrusts.

"I'm cumming, baby," she panted.

He continued his relentless pace as her inner walls undulated along his length. Releasing her hands, he rose up to give himself access to her luscious ass. Gripping each of her perfect cheeks in his hands, he sped up his thrusts as her breathing quickened.

"Fuck!" she wheezed as her pleasure crested. Under Randy's gaze, the tension which had been slowly building across her shoulders faded away, leaving her pleasantly relaxed.

He extracted his manhood and leaned over her to kiss her deeply. She smiled into the kiss as the turned beneath him before pulling him into her embrace.

"I love you," she breathed as their lips parted.

"I love you more," he whispered before kissing her once more.

She smiled as their lips parted and said, "Stand by the bed."

He quirked and eyebrow in curiosity but did as instructed. Once he was in position, she crawled sultrily toward him before rolling onto her back before him. The suite's bed had clearly been designed with intimacy in mind as it was quite high off the floor. Sabrina reached out her tongue to tease the tip of his cock before reaching back to grip his hips and pull him closer.

Alternating between deepthroating him and bathing his balls with her tongue brought him to the brink in no time, helped in large part by the sight of her stunning body laid out prone before him and the eager way she played with her clit as her mouth pleasured him.

"I want you to cum, my love," she whispered before taking his cock into her throat once more.

His eyes roamed up her body to see the outline of his cock in her throat and he groaned in pleasure.

"My God, you're so fucking beautiful," he gasped as the first eruption of his seed flowed down her throat.

He pulled back, wary of choking her in this position, and she gleefully stroked his throbbing member as he coated her body in the proof of his pleasure. He barely kept his feet as countless waves of ecstasy coursed through his body. Only the fact that the bed was positioned close to the wall kept him vertical.

When he was spent, he gazed lovingly down at Sabrina, memorizing the sight of her magnificent body coated in his essence. But it was not the lasciviousness of the sight which enraptured him. It was the unmistakable fact that she had done this not out of obligation or expectation of what he would do in return, but rather because she loved him and wanted to give him as much pleasure as humanly possible. Because her happiness was inextricably linked to his own. He took a step back, gasping at the sensation of her tongue flicking lewdly along the underside of his shaft.

"One of these days, my love, you're going to give me so much pleasure that I'll be transubstantiated straight to Valhalla. Then what will you do?"

"I'll be right there with you handsome. Your pleasure is indistinguishable from my own."

He dipped into the bathroom to wet a hand towel before returning to the bedside to lovingly clean her up as she squirmed delectably. This task done, he climbed into bed beside her and collected a soul-melding kiss.

"That was..." he began.

"Exquisite," she finished with a sigh. "I'm so pleased you fell in love with me, Randy. It makes things ever so much simpler. Have you told anyone else?"

"You mean the kids?" he queried. She nodded, so he said, "Not as such. But I have little doubt they know at the very least that I care deeply for you. I promise to bring them up to speed once the excitement calms down. More than anything, I'm anxious for you to meet them."

"I look forward to that as well. I also look forward to telling them, especially Holly, about how magnificent you've been with Lily. I just can't tell you how wonderful it feels to be in love with such a truly gallant and noble gentleman. I have all but forgotten my ex, thanks to you, but I can assure you that you are so different from him that I have difficulty believing you're from the same species."

"You were pretty magnificent with her yourself, honey. She would have bolted a half a dozen different times if it wasn't for you."

"It was a team effort," Sabrina agreed. "It's been so wonderful watching her come out of her shell and start to trust us. It's like I said earlier, it was definitely fate which led us to her."

"I get the same feeling."

Sabrina was quiet for a moment before a shadow passed over her expression. She regarded Randy with worried eyes and said, "You don't think Cnychwr is controlling her, do you?"

"He swore he wasn't. And I'm inclined to believe him. He's an asshole, but thus far he's seemed to be an honest asshole. He didn't exactly show contrition for the debacle with Olga, but he said he wouldn't do it again and, as far as I can tell, he hasn't. You'd think he would have noticed Ariana was a government agent keen on imprisoning him if he was rooting around in our minds."

"I guess that's true. I'm just not sure I could handle it if it turns out things with Lily aren't what they seem."

"Why's that?"

Sabrina stared into his eyes and said, "Because I've realized that I care deeply for her. And not just in a maternal, I want to keep her safe and reign down hellfire on those that wronged her kind of way, although that's certainly there too."

"I feel it too," Randy replied quietly. "I want to protect her and comfort her, but I also deeply desire her friendship."

"And her love?" Sabrina asked quietly.

Randy quirked an eyebrow at her and said, "I'm uncertain how to answer that."

"I'm not trying to trap you, my love."

"I know. It's just... I want to give her the love of a trusted friend, and to receive the same from her. More than that? I'm, at best, third in line when it comes to that conversation."

"How so?"

"I care for Lily a great deal and am committed to doing right by her. But I love you, Sabrina. After my children, you must come first."

"What if you didn't have to choose?" she asked quietly. He opened his mouth to reply, but she shushed him with a gentle finger on his lips. "I'm falling for her, Randy. Barring a complete reversal on her part, I have no doubt she and I will be lifelong friends. But I know in my heart we could be so much more. She fits us like a glove, babe. We could be together, all of us."

"Her polarity might not support such an arrangement."

"I know, but even if we were both your lovers while loving each other as something more akin to sisters, that would still be amazing. I just know it. She's not the type to ever get jealous, or any of that bullshit. The two of us need not be lovers to love each other."

"With the caveat that I cannot support jeopardizing her happiness, or yours, in pursuit of this objective, I agree wholeheartedly. But we must tread lightly. She trusts us, likely more than she's ever trusted anyone. But a single errant word or action could shatter that trust."

"I agree. But I'm not worried. Because we're not pretending, babe. We're just loving her unreservedly. She has all the power here. We can afford to be patient. I can only hope that whatever you have in mind for those goddamned maniacs from her hometown won't upset her too much.

"I hope so too, but it must be done. And not just for Lily."

Sabrina was quiet for a moment before she said, "Can I say one more thing about our dear Lily?"

"Of course."

"I know you, Randy. You're good and decent and loving. Those are wonderful qualities in a partner. But it could also lead to you hesitating at a critical juncture. Promise me, Randy. If the moment arrives with Lily unexpectedly, promise me you'll love her properly. No second thoughts, no reservations. Just give her the love she so richly deserves. And know that you do so with my full support."

He nodded serenely before saying, "I promise, so long as you promise the same."

She nodded and said, "I think it's more likely she'd approach you first, but I promise nonetheless." She sighed and said, "I love you so much."

"I love you too," he murmured. "And not just because you're eagerly encouraging me to have sex with another woman."

"Not have sex," she whispered before kissing him gently. "Make love. For we happy few who have known love, there is no more having sex. Only making love."

"Is that what we did earlier?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yes, my love. We are still making love when you fuck me so furiously that the neighbors call the police, and we have to redecorate after we're done. Because we're together, and completely dedicated to each other's happiness. You fucked the shit out of me because you knew I'd love it, and I swallowed your cock while I put on a show for you for the same reason. Making love doesn't mean candles and smooth R&B playing softly in the background, it means two, or more, people giving each other pleasure because to do anything less would be an affront to nature."

He captured her lips and felt their bond resolidify at the contact. He slowly rolled with her until he was between her thighs and slid easily into her molten embrace.

"I love you so fucking much," he whispered.

"I love you too," Sabrina sighed as he began to move within her.

Their pace built gradually, neither partner particularly anxious for release but instead just existing in the moment of pure pleasure they were gifting to each other. As they approached apotheosis, he heard a catch in her breathing and peered down at her in concern.

She smiled up at him and whispered, "Don't look, but I think Lily is watching us." Randy's eyes widened, but he did as instructed and kept his eyes on Sabrina, who continued, "I saw the door move a bit. I think she's just peering through a tiny crack."

He smiled and whispered, "Then we should show her what making love looks like."

Sabrina pulled him down for a passionate kiss. Their tongues twined languidly in time with their lovemaking. As he felt his pleasure beginning to crest, Randy realized he had made a mistake. They routinely made love without condoms, both preferring the feeling of having nothing between them to latex. But she was not on birth control, so he always pulled out. But Randy worried about the message such an action could convey to their voyeuristic companion.

He licked along her ear and whispered, "We didn't get a condom."

She smiled up at him, her expression leaving no doubt as to her understanding of his conundrum. At length, she said, "Just let me know when you're ready."

"You're so beautiful, Sabrina."

"I'm close, Randy," she sighed loudly.

He felt her orgasm build as her velvety channel gripped him tightly and wetness surged from her core. He balanced on one hand, maintaining a steady rhythm, while he lifted a hand up to cradle her cheek gently.

He gazed into her eyes and pleaded, "Cum for me, my love."

Her eyes struggled to remain open as her orgasm washed over her like a shockwave. He stilled his thrusting as he watched the pleasure radiate out from her core. Her limbs held him tight in a lover's embrace as her muscles spasmed wildly. Throughout her ecstasy, he kissed along her neck and whispered of his love for her.

As her pleasure receded, she opened her eyes languidly and sighed loudly. "That was amazing, lover."

"Anything for you," he replied seriously.

She squeezed him gently with her core muscles and said, "Your turn."

He bowed his head regally and began thrusting into her molten core once more, quickly reaching the precipice of his own pleasure.

"I'm almost there, baby," he whispered fiercely.

"Please cum for me," she pleaded.

He pulled out, his groan at the loss of his lover's warmth almost, but not entirely, masking the gasp from the direction of the door. Sabrina reached for his manhood, stroking him lovingly as she gazed up at him with affection filled eyes.

He leaned down to kiss her, his manhood erupting at the sensation of her lips finding his. He coated her belly as she stroked him, each volley of his seed eliciting a moan of pleasure deep in her chest.

When he was spent, he reluctantly released her lips before going in search of another hand towel, but he did not fail to notice the scampering footsteps which retreated from their door as he rose from the bed.

Copyright © 2022 Jake Lazarus

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This is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, business, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.