Taylor looked on skeptically. “He’s already got another girlfriend?”
“No. But there are those very close to his heart. There is already at least one other with whom he will inevitably grow much closer, likely as lovers.” Seeing Taylor frown quizzically, Lorelei said, “You remember the blonde? In the parking garage?”
“A little,” Taylor shrugged. Her frown grew deeper. “More, now that you mention it. Didn’t she help us?”
Lorelei nodded. “She looks out for him. They share a deep connection. I must leave it to him to explain more to you.”
After a moment, Taylor ventured, “Who else?”
“You.”
Taylor shook her head. “ Oh no. I’m not looking for a new boyfriend. Not right now. And not to share.”
“Understandable. But you came here tonight looking for Alex. You came knowing he was involved with another…and knowing that he cares for you. You have seen how much you mean to him, and that he will keep silent at your request. And you have already shared a brief intimacy that has surely filled your thoughts since-one that you yearn to share again.”
Lorelei shifted to stand directly in front of the younger woman. Taylor knew it should feel much more uncomfortable or even intimidating, but it didn’t. Her discomfort was mild and easy enough to overcome.
“He loves me, Taylor. He will never leave me, nor I him. Have no illusions about that. Yet at the same time, there is a place in his heart for you that will always exist, independent of me or any other relationship in his life. Perhaps not as a lover, but certainly as more than a friend. You are safe with him, Taylor. You are safe with me.”
The frown remained, but she nodded. “I don’t feel threatened,” Taylor said. “Just a little confused and…and I don’t know what else.”
“Of course you’re confused. You live in a society that lauds monogamous love. There’s nothing wrong with that. It works for most. I am a different sort. Put to rest your concerns about how I feel in this.”
Taylor shrugged. “I guess I can do that.”
“Then it comes to you, Taylor. You came here looking for Alex tonight.”
“Yeah. I did.”
“Why?”
“Because it wasn’t until all this shit with him at the mall and then my boyf-my ex-boyfriend,” she corrected, “that I realized what a good friend he really is. Gabriel-my ex-he’s not the first guy to treat me badly. He was fine at first, but then we got to UW and he had girls throwing themselves at him and he turned into a total shit. I was about to break up with him anyway when Alex turned up, but… I wasn’t looking for a rebound. I still can’t believe I hooked up with Alex like that. God, that was so crazy.”
“I can believe it,” Lorelei put in with a quiet, sly smile. “But tell me,” she said seriously, “do you regret it?”
“No,” Taylor answered. She fidgeted a bit. “I don’t. I’ve been happy about it, actually. I just…I felt safe with Alex all of a sudden. Like emotionally, before those guys turned up. Even-right when I saw him shopping there, I had this instant reaction like, ‘Hey, that’s my friend who’s always so nice to me. I’ve missed him.’ But then my boss was all over him, and that pissed me off, and once I had chased her off just being alone with Alex felt so good…and, well, hot. So I guess I felt like there was something special there. But now here he is getting into who knows how many women’s pants, just like Gabe!”
Lorelei tilted her head thoughtfully and said, “Consider this: if the attentions of other women have changed Gabriel, do they seem to have changed Alex?”
She thought about it. “Not really, no.”
“They have,” Lorelei admitted, “in that he is much more confident now. But where your ex-boyfriend apparently fell to his ego, Alex is desperate to stay grounded. He’s terrified of harming or betraying anyone. As I said, my greatest challenge with him has been in getting him to let go of his inhibitions and overwrought concerns for the feelings of others and just have a good time. I think you’ll find that Alex won’t let his success corrupt him.”
Taylor’s arms went around her sides, then back down into her lap. “I guess I can see that.”
“And so here you are.” Lorelei stepped a little closer, taking Taylor’s hand as if they were close friends. “Taylor…While you may not be looking for a new boyfriend, I think that night at the mall isn’t over for you yet. He’s not looking for a serious romantic relationship with you, but that intimacy was not lost on him, either.”
“You’re saying he’d be a good friend with benefits?” Taylor asked. The faintest hints of a self-deprecating and yet hopeful smile played at the corners of her lips.
“I imagine so,” Lorelei smiled, “but that will be for the two of you to decide. What matters is that he cares about you.”
“It seems crazy that you’re okay with it being more than that.”
Lorelei’s smile turned both dark and inviting. “I would love to help you both,” she offered.
Taylor’s eyes widened. That was not what she meant. “Woah,” she said, “I’m not into-”
“Taylor,” Lorelei broke in. Her tone grew soothing, but in a way that hardly calmed Taylor all. “I am something of an expert in body language. You seem to be dealing with a bit of restlessness here…a not unpleasant restlessness.”
The younger girl’s eyes remained wide, like a deer in headlights. Lorelei came ever closer. “You are entirely safe with Alex,” she murmured. Her hands slid up Taylor’s arms. “And you are entirely safe with me. What is said and done here will only leave this room if you wish it.”
Shuddering with every breath, Taylor fell to a complete loss for words. Instinct held her in place. She wasn’t entirely sure what was going to happen, nor if she really wanted it, but at the same time she didn’t want to stop it.
Lorelei paused, feeling the girl shake like a leaf. Apart from ensuring Taylor’s calm and honesty, she used no supernatural influence. Lorelei had advantages of beauty that few mortals could match, of course, but she also possessed natural sensitivity to desire and vast experience.
“If you wish me to stop,” Lorelei reassured her, “I will stop.”
Her kiss was soft on Taylor’s lips. She pressed gently, feeling only the slightest, reflexive return from the nervous girl. Lorelei’s kiss slid across Taylor’s mostly closed mouth patiently and invitingly until she felt Taylor’s lips begin to part. Then she moved in a bit closer, bringing legs and breasts against each another as she gathered Taylor into an embrace.
Taylor’s willingness grew. She was timid at first, but her head began to swim and she felt herself getting warm. Taylor had never kissed another girl. She hadn’t even considered it outside of musing that it wouldn’t be so bad whenever the issue came up in a film and such. Taylor had been to parties where guys had encouraged it, but she wasn’t one for putting on a show for a crowd of guys just looking to get their jollies.
This, however, was entirely different. Taylor felt something entirely new as she melted into the arms of Alex’s strange, endlessly confident lover. Her arms slipped around Lorelei as she moved from shy recipient to hungry participant. She let go of her fears and instead found herself holding Lorelei around the waist, then by the shoulders, then even with her hands roaming over Lorelei’s perfectly rounded ass.
Her body toned up under Lorelei’s attentions. Given her natural beauty and youth, the changes were slight. Taylor didn’t feel a thing. Tiny blemishes in her skin faded away. The last of her scrapes and bruises from her tumbles on Wednesday disappeared. Her stomach tightened only by a small amount, but what was already quite attractive became downright unfair.
Lorelei had felt Alex’s pleasure for the last twenty minutes and more as he threw himself into the joyous task of driving his sexy young partner to ecstasy. He only allowed the briefest respite after their first romp before he began a second. Lorelei could see him through Jocelyn’s eyes. Tormented with that arousal, Lorelei fought the urge to rip Taylor’s clothes to shreds and take her right there in the bathroom.