Amaryllis

So why was he here, Lucas wondered. But as soon as he took Amaryllis's elbow he had his answer. Just touching her caused every muscle in his body to tighten with sexual anticipation. He could tolerate five hells' worth of irritation for the sake of this sensation even if he did end the evening under a cold shower.

With Amaryllis's arm fucked into his own, Lucas started toward the bright lights of the strip two blocks away.

"I know I've been acting very mysteriously, Lucas, but there's a reason."

"I'm listening." Lucas kept an eye on the yawning mouth of an alley that was crammed with darkness. It was a reflex on his part, the result of having grown up on the edge of a jungle. The predators that hunted in the city walked on two feet instead of the four, six, or eight appendages common to much of the wildlife of the Western Islands, but they were just as dangerous.

Amaryllis shoved her hands into the pockets of her coat. "I got a strange call Friday afternoon as I was leaving work. I spent the weekend thinking about what to do next."

Lucas absently tracked two shadowy figures who hovered in a darkened doorway. "How strange was this phone call?"

"The person on the other end of the line would not identify himself. I was told that if I wanted to know the truth about Professor Landreth, I should talk to a woman who works at the SynCity Club."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Lucas came to an abrupt halt and spun her around to face him. "What's Landreth got to do with our date?"

"Calm down, Lucas. There's no need to get emotional."

"I'm not emotional. I'm pissed off. There's a difference. What do you think you're doing?"

"The caller said that someone named Vivien who worked at the SynCity Club could give me information."

"About Landreth?"

"Yes."

"That's crazy."

Amaryllis lifted her chin. "That's why I'm here tonight, Lucas. I want to talk to her. I told you it was business. If you'd rather not accompany me, I'll understand."

Lucas gripped the lapels of her coat. "I don't believe this. Don't tell me that our little security job the other night at the museum gave you visions of becoming an amateur detective?"

"I admired and respected Professor Landreth more than anyone else on the faculty at the university."

"So what?"

"Questions have been raised, Lucas. I feel that, in honor of his memory, I must pursue the answers. You, of all people, must know what if feels like to need answers."

"What questions have been raised?" Lucas asked very carefully.

"Well, first, there is the matter of a Landreth-trained prism engaging in unethical focusing."

"Not that nonsense again. What's it got to do with this?"

"Don't you see? One thing leads to another. The more I wondered why a properly trained prism would get involved in unethical activities, the more I began to ask other questions."

"Such as?"

"Such as, what if Professor Landreth knew about the prism's unethical behavior? What if someone didn't want him to know?"

"Five hells," Lucas muttered. "I think I see where this is going."

"And then I got that phone call implying that there was a mystery connected to Professor Landreth. Lucas, if there is even the slightest possibility that his death was not an accident. I'm going to insist upon a full investigation."

"Fine. Go to the police and tell them that some anonymous caller told you that a syn-sex stripper may have information about Landreth. Let the cops take it from there."

"The case is closed as far as the police are concerned. You know as well as I do that they're hardly likely to reopen an accident investigation just because I got an anonymous phone call."

The light was poor on the side street, but Lucas had no difficulty seeing the determination in Amaryllis's face. It alarmed him as nothing else had done in a long, long time. "Amaryllis, listen to me, this is not a good idea."

"I just want to talk to Vivien to see if she really knows anything, that's all. You don't have to stick around if you'd rather not get involved."

"You're not listening, Miss Lark. I'd rather you didn't get involved."

"I thought you would have some empathy for my feelings."

"Because I know what it feels like to want answers? Amaryllis, bear in mind that I didn't particularly like the ones I got."

Her soft mouth firmed in a small but significant gesture that Lucas was beginning to recognize. Amaryllis had dug in her heels.

"I'm committed to this," she said austerely. "Look, I told you that I was coming down here on business tonight. If you would prefer to spend the evening somewhere else--"

"Anywhere else."

"Then feel free to get back in your car and go home."

"Do you really think I'm going to leave you all by yourself down here?"

Something in his voice must have gotten through to her because Amaryllis's expression turned wary. "Probably not."

"Probably not is right." Lucas released her lapels, seized her arm, and started toward the bright lights that marked the strip. "Let's go."

She quickened her pace to keep up with him. "I appreciate this, Lucas. I didn't want to come down here alone, but I hope you don't feel that I used you. You did volunteer."

"Yeah, sure. There's just one thing, Amaryllis."

"Yes?"

"When this is over, you owe me a real date. I intend to collect."

When the club door opened, the sensual, driving rhythms of heavy ice rock spilled over Amaryllis in a wave. Drunken laughter and the din of voices pitched above the level of the music created a wall of noise. Flashes of arcing light zipped back and forth through the shadows creating just enough illumination to reveal the club's customers seated at small, round tables.

Amaryllis came to a halt just inside the door and gazed around in dismay. "We'll never find a place to sit."

"What?" Lucas asked.

She cupped a hand to her mouth. "I said, we'll never find a table."

"We should be so lucky. Come on, unfortunately I think I see one over there near the wall."

Amaryllis slanted him a sidelong glance as he guided her through the darkened club. Lucas was not in a good mood. It had been a mistake to bring him with her, she thought. On the other hand, she was very glad he was here.

A waiter materialized out of the darkness the moment Amaryllis sat down.

"What'll it be?" he asked in a bored voice. "Two-drink minimum."

Amaryllis looked up at the young man who was standing impatiently in front of her. He was very handsome, very blond, and for an instant she feared that he was very naked. Then she noticed the tiny, tautly stretched leather thong that barely covered the critical regions of his anatomy. Actually, it was difficult not to notice the garment. It was at roughly eye level.

In an effort to conceal her shock, she hastily averted her eyes and gazed fixedly at Lucas. "Wine." The word came out in a squeak. She cleared her throat. "I'll have a glass of wine, please."

"Green, white, or blue?" The waiter demanded.

"Green, please," she said quickly, opting for the weakest of the three.

The waiter glanced at Lucas. "And you, sir?"

"What kind of beer do you have on tap?"

"Jungle Fever, Twin Moons, and Five Hells."

"Five Hells."

"Got it. Be right back."

Amaryllis could not resist another glance at the waiter as he wheeled and disappeared into the crowd. She was curious, in spite of herself, to see where he stashed the small notepad he used to jot down drink orders. There did not appear to be any pockets in the leather thong that she could see.

Lucas leaned across the table. "Not quite what you expected?"

"I didn't know what to expect." Blushing furiously, Amaryllis jerked her attention away from the waiter's muscular flanks. "I've got to figure out a way to talk to this Vivien person."