Strange Days Ch. 61-65

Helena sat us down on a small but comfortable antique love seat, tucking her leg under her so that she could face me.

"He has a knack for helping people find each other," she said softly, and she shook her head. "Except for himself." Then she looked at me and smiled. "Now, what brings you here today?"

"Uhm, Holly says hello," I babbled, unsure of how to start in on telling her about my strange afternoon.

Helena's expression lit up with happiness. "Does she? How is Holly?"

"Really happy, actually," I told her. "She's in love."

"Well, good for her," she patted my hand, then gave me a knowing smile. "But I'm sure you didn't come down here just to tell me that."

"No," I shook my head and stared down into my lap. "I didn't."

"Amy," Helena said softly, taking both of my hands in hers. "What's wrong?"

I tried to think of a way to tell her what had happened, about the stranger, about the feeling of being watched.

"Oh God, this is stupid," I groaned, looking away, sure that I was going to sound crazy the moment I began. "You'll just think I'm nuts."

"Amy, you have a magic penis," she said bluntly, and I looked at her, saw her smiling warmly. "I highly doubt there is anything you can say that will make me think you're crazy."

"I guess so," I couldn't help but smile, or blush. Taking a deep breath, I told her about how I felt like I was being watched, and the stranger I'd met outside of my apartment. Helena simply listened, her expression nearly unreadable, but she seemed concerned.

"It's bad, isn't it?" I asked.

Helena looked quickly away.

"Please, tell me," I pleaded, taking her hand in both of mine.

"Very well," she said softly, then gave me a grave look. "There is another world out there, beneath the one you know, a world of wonder and nightmare, magic and miracle, beauty and horror." Her hands caressed mine gently. "The gift you carry makes you noticeable to the other side, to beings unlike anything you can imagine, both benevolent and malicious."

I nodded, eager for her to continue.

Helena took a deep breath, looked away, and said solemnly, "For untold ages, a war has been waged."

She paused, letting that sink in. A war? I'd read enough supernatural romance novels to know this kind of thing never ended well. Holly hell, what I had gotten into?

Slowly, Helena turned her head to look at me, and the glimmer of her eyes and slight crook of her mouth made me frown.

"You're fucking with me," I muttered and rolled my eyes.

"Guilty," Helena giggled and patted my hand. "But, it is true that your gift will attract attention." I regarded her again and saw her place her hand on her chest. "Those like me will notice, as will...well, I'll just say others."

"So, is this bad or not?" I asked.

"Bad?" she raised an eyebrow, then shook her head. "No, I wouldn't say so. You were given sound advice today. There really is another world out there, a truly magical world. After all," she paused with a smirk and gestured between my legs. "But just like this world, there are those among it who crave power, influence, or prestige, or all of the above. In some ways, your gift could cause you to be seen as a trophy to won, or a challenge to be conquered."

"Conquered?" I repeated, eyes wide, feeling kind of insulted, then more loudly, "Won?"

Helena smiled. "Yes, but in the same way that Sarah was a conquest for you."

Oh. Okay. Ihadkind of plundered her that first morning we'd had sex, so I guess it was a fair analogy. But then I wondered...

"Does that mean people like you will know that I have...a...you know."

"A cock?" she grinned, raising an eyebrow, and I nodded. "No. All they'll know is that there's something special about you."

"So, who was he?" I asked. "The stranger, I mean."

"He didn't give you his name?"

I shook my head.

"Then it isn't mine to give, unfortunately," she told me, then squeezed my hands reassuringly. "But again, he gave you good advice. Pay attention, remember you have free will, and no matter how beautiful, majestic or perfect someone may seem to you, they are no different than you. You aren't helpless, and you have everything you need to defend yourself from their charms."

"Charms," I repeated, then asked. "Do you mean, like, magic or just charisma?"

"Both," she shrugged. "Trust me though, the being that spoke to you on the street can help you, and if he decides to reveal himself to you again, listen to what he has to say." She smiled and patted my hand fondly. "He can be just as vague and mysterious as the rest, but he's a good man, if not broody at times."

"You called him a 'being'," I pointed out the small detail. "Is he not a...I don't know, a real man?"

"Oh, he's real," she told me. "But not in the sense you might think. He's not entirely human, if that's what you're asking."

Not entirely human? What the hell did that mean? "Then what is he?"

Helena pursed her lips in thought before replying. "Well, he's..." she stopped to smile at me. "Let's just say that he has fallen to his current form."

I blinked. "Oh my God. You mean he's a fallen angel or something?"

"Oh heavens no!" she shook her head, then laughed. "Pardon the pun. No, he was once something greater, but...a lack of attention has lessened him to what he is today."

I had so many more questions, but I just didn't know where to begin. I wanted to know more about the magic of my gift, about where it came from, about Freyja, about the stranger, even about Helena. I wanted to know what the differences were between someone like her and the stranger. I wanted to know who might be watching me, who might want me as a trophy.

"Amy," she patted my hand again, drawing me out of the whirlwind of my thoughts. "I know you have questions, but...I've probably told you more than I should already."

"What do you mean?" I frowned.

"There are rules," she said gently, rubbing her thumb over the back of my hand. "The first being that I'm not supposed to give you knowledge you can't obtain on your own."

"That's not fair," I complained. "Both you and Mr. Broody said something or someone could be coming after me. What am I supposed to do?"

"Don't think of it that way, for one," she patted my hand again. "Think of this on a more basic level, as though someone were simply interested in you, a young man, for example, one that wants to talk you into going on a date with them."

"That's it?"

She nodded. "That's essentially what it boils down to, yes."

I sighed and looked away, but then felt Helena's hand stroking the hair on the side of my head. When I glanced at her, she smiled fondly.

"This is an adorable look for you, by the way."

I snorted. "Okay, so I don't need to wear a wreath of garlic around my neck, carry a rosary, pour salt outside my apartment or do anything else?"

"No," she laughed lightly. "None of that would help you anyway."

"Gee. Thanks."

"But there is another option," she said.

I waited, nodded for her to continue.

"I could take back Freyja's gift."

I stood up immediately. "Oh, hell no."

"It would certainly prevent any forthcoming complications in your life," she told me, standing up beside me.

"Maybe, but it would create new ones," I argued, pacing away from her. "First and foremost being what the hell happens to Sarah and I?"

Helena came over to me and put her hands on my shoulders. "You really do love her, don't you?"

"Forever," I told her.

She smiled and gently cupped my face in her hands, bringing me towards her to kiss my forehead. "Bless you then. Freyja would wish for nothing more than that."

Chapter 63

I was still overflowing with questions after leaving Helena's shop, but at least I wasn't freaking out so much anymore. The moment I'd stepped out onto the sidewalk, I felt like I was being watched again.

Erin had stood up from the bench, told me it had been nice meeting me, and gone back into the shop. I couldn't help watching his ass when he walked away from me. Next to Sarah's, it was one of the nicest butts I'd ever seen.

When the shop door closed behind him, I realized something. Just like with Mr. Broody, I simply knew that Erin wasn't the cause of my discomfort, that it wasn't him watching me. Was he like Mr. Broody? Was he more than human? Something else? Come to think of it, from the moment I'd met Helena, I'd trusted her, simply known that she would never hurt me. Good Lord, who were these people?

The feeling of being watched came and went on my way to Dangerous Angels, but I ignored it as best I could, though I wasn't sure if that was going against the advice that I should pay attention to what's happening around me. Helena had really tried to make me feel better about the situation, and she hadn't been troubled at all by the news from the stranger that someone or something had their eye on me. Helena had also confirmed what the stranger said, that I wouldn't be able to seethemanyway. I took all of this to mean that until I actually saw them, I could ignore the feeling, so that's what I did.

I had to hunt up Darren when I got to work, since he wasn't in his office, and he wasn't on the shooting floor either. When I finally found him, he was coming out of Jean Pierre's office, with both Christine and Rose in tow. Rose looked upset, and Christine looked like her typical supremely bitchy self. Darren opened his mouth to say something, but Christine shoved her way around him to get in my way, standing far too close to me for comfort.

"Fuck up this shoot and I'll have your ass," she told me bluntly, then stepped around me with an arrogant swagger.

I watched her go, then looked back to Darren and Rose when Christine was out of sight.

"What the hell was that all about?" I asked.

Rose looked at Darren, and he sighed, telling me, "She convinced Jean Pierre to change the schedule."

"Okay," I shrugged, noticing that both of them looked uncomfortable. "What does that mean?"

It was Rose's turn to sigh, apparently. "It means you're shooting her today, instead of me."

"Wonderful," I rolled my eyes and started heading towards the floor.

Neither of them said anything else. When I got to the set, Christine was waiting. Rose peeled off for another set, leaving Darren and I with Christine. She was standing there with her arms crossed under her breasts, tapping her foot, and she was wearing a dark blue bath robe. Her hair was simply styled, and I had to admit that she was a very attractive woman. With her long legs, lean build and golden hair, she kind of reminded me of the paintings of goddesses from Greece.

"About time," she muttered, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

Too bad she was such a bitch.

"Like yesterday," Darren said simply.

I nodded and got my camera ready, guiding Darren to adjust the lighting. When I was ready, Christine snorted, untied her robe, and tossed it into a corner. My breath caught in my chest. She wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. She turned away from me and headed over to a dresser, pulling out a set of dark red lacy boyshorts and matching camisole, then she opened another drawer and drew out a garter belt and stockings. Her body was tight and lean, tall and statuesque, and there wasn't a single blemish on her smooth silky skin. Her breasts weren't as big as I'd thought, somewhere between mine and Sarah's, but her nipples were long and pointy. Also unlike me and Sarah, Christine had a small thatch of golden hair just above her mound, in the shape of a slightly rounded triangle. To me, it was like the X on a damn treasure map, and my mouth watered at the sight of her.

The bitch turned me on. Now Ireallyhated her.

Christine took the lingerie with her and sat down on an elegant padded bench. A pair of red stiletto heels were sitting on the floor, and a dark red dinner dress was hanging nearby.

"Wipe your mouth, Amy," Christine said, but she wasn't looking at me.

But when I blinked, I realized she could see me in a mirror. I frowned and hid my blush behind the camera.

The shoot was indeed like yesterday. Christine went about dressing and undressing, and I shot her all the while. Granted, more than a few shots included stuff that couldn't be used, a nipple here, a glimpse of her smooth labia there, but the vast majority were perfect, her more womanly parts hidden by her limbs, clothes, or the furniture.

The only time I really had any trouble was when she leaned over to put on a pair of stockings. Her breasts were rubbing over her legs, and I guess the stimulation caused the tips to stiffen, and oh my gawd did she have the most incredible nipples I'd ever seen, beating out even Tabitha's mouthwatering assets by a fair margin.

When the shoot was over, Christine threw her robe on and patted Darren on the shoulder as she passed by him, completely ignoring me.

"Let me know if we have to do this again with someone else, would you, sweetie?" she told him.

I glared at her back, and when the curtains closed behind her, I realized that Darren hadn't said anything, hadn't defended me at all. He just gave me a sheepish look. It hurt my feelings a little that he hadn't taken my side. Granted, he hadn't taken Christine's side either, but it still sucked. Pissed off, I yanked the SD card out of my camera and threw in his general direction, but he managed to catch it with a quick lunge.

"Guess I'm done here," I muttered and stomped off.

I heard Darren calling me to come back, his tone pleading, but I ignored him. I was going to head straight for my car and go home, but Ginger rounded the corner right in front of me.

"Oh, hey!" she smiled, then frowned when she saw my expression. "Guess the shoot didn't go well."

"It went fucking perfect," I told her, crossing my arms. "But that bitch won't even acknowledge it."

Ginger gave me a hug, though I was still stiff and didn't relax into it, despite how good she smelled, how warm she was, or how nice she felt against me.

"Well, she'll have to when J.P. sees the results," she assured me.

"Maybe, but I doubt it," I huffed.

"Come on," she smiled again and hooked her arm around mine, walking me with her. "Let's go get me cleaned up and see if Rose needs any help."

I followed Ginger to the dressing room, where Rose was already stripping off her makeup. Ginger took a seat to do the same. Rose asked about the shoot so I relayed what I'd already told Ginger.

"So it really did go well, huh?" Rose asked, turning her chair to face me and crossing her legs.

She was wearing a black satin robe, and I was pretty sure nothing else, if the obvious outline of her big nipples were any indication of her state of undress. Crossing her legs made her robe split wide over her thighs too, and I watched the satin slide open wider in microscopic increments until I could almost see a good portion of her bare butt.

"Amy?" she said.

I blinked and shook my head. "Sorry. You were saying?"

Rose grinned knowingly, shifting in her chair, and this time the top of her robe opened a little more to reveal a substantial amount of fabulous cleavage. She repeated her question about the shoot.

"Oh, yeah, it was great, actually," I said, then sighed. "That's what stinks about the whole thing."

"How so?"

"She's beautiful, Rose," I wined. "So easy to work with, at least when she keeps her mouth shut."

"Oh," Rose pouted, then she brushed the fingertips of her hand down her caramel cleavage, opening her robe until the entire valley of her breasts were exposed. "I'm not pretty?"

I grinned. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Can we finish this conversation in the shower?" Ginger asked, getting up from the chair and pinning her hair up in a bun.

For a moment, I was stunned. Ginger was incredibly cute without any makeup. She had this whole innocent-hometown-girl thing going on.

Rose grabbed my arm and tugged me along. "Gawd, yes. I'm dying for a shower."

I started to protest. "Hey, I don't really need to take a..."

"Oh, come on," Ginger said, looping her arm through mine opposite Rose. "A shower will do you good after dealing with Christine."

Rose gave me a wink. "Besides, Ginger hasn't seen you naked yet."

I glanced at Ginger and she bounced her eyebrows at me, making me laugh.

I'd never actually used the showers at Dangerous Angels, so I didn't have a locker assigned to me, nor anything to take a shower with, but Rose and Ginger told me I could use their stuff. The shower was just a big tiled square with four heads on each wall, and a bench down the middle of it in case someone wanted to steam for a while, and more benches were just outside the showers. The place was starting to fill up with steam by the time I found a towel and stripped down, and Rose was already under the spray of one of the heads.

"Damn, girl," Ginger said, bouncing up beside me as I stepped into the shower. She was looking at my butt. "You have the cutest little ass I've ever seen."

I chuckled and shook my head at her.

"I love her boobies," Rose grinned over at us.

"Boobies?" I raised an eyebrow, stepping under my own showerhead.

"Yeah, these are tits," she turned around and hefted her big breasts in her hands, then she pointed over at Ginger's even greater assets. "Those are fucking knockers," she said, making Ginger and I laugh. "And yours are adorably cute boobies."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, turning my back to them to wet my face. "I'm not blessed in the chest. I get it."

"No, honey, that's not it," Rose replied, but she sounded closer now.

I turned around to find her standing right in front of me, and she reached out to cup both of my breasts in her hands.

"They're perfect," she smiled, then lifted an eyebrow. "Here, watch."

And with that, Rose leaned down, closed her mouth around my breast and pulled over half of it right between her lips. Her hot tongue pressed firmly against the underside of my breast, then licked up and over my nipple just as she sucked me firmly into her mouth.

"Wha...jeezus, Rose," I gasped, feeling a jolt of pleasure streak through me from my nipple to low in my stomach.

"Mmmm," she closed her eyes and cooed around a mouthful of my tit.

I just watched her suck noisily on my breast for a moment.

Rose released me with a wet slurp and turned her head to glance at Ginger, who had moved to stand right beside me. "Wow, you should try this."

"Yeah?" she raised a dark red eyebrow, then leaned down to latch onto my other breast.

"Oh my..." I gasped, both of them sucking on my tits at the same time, licking and slurping, nibbling and kissing.

Ginger took her mouth off my boob long enough to say, "God, they're amazing."

"Here," Rose said after taking her mouth off of me and moving to my side, but still cupping the breast she'd just been attending to. "Try this one."

"What are you two...?" I started to ask, but Ginger switched to the other breast and used her hand to play with the nipple that had just been inside her warm wet mouth.

My eyes rolled into the back of my head when Ginger switched breasts again. I felt Rose press her wet body against my side, my arm swallowed up in the valley of her breasts.

"Amy, can I ask you a question?" she purred.

"Sure," I breathed, hissing with delight when Ginger captured my nipple between her teeth and bit down just a little. "Go ahead. I don't think...gawd almighty!" I cried out, digging my hand into Ginger's hair and pulling her tight against my chest. "I don't think I'm going anywhere."

Rose giggled and whispered in my ear. "How do you and Sarah have sex?"

I laughed, but only briefly, because two of Ginger's fingers glided across my wet center. My belly tightened, and something inside me shifted.

"How do you think?" I lolled my head to the side to look at Rose.

She smiled and slid her hand down my back, stopping to lightly scratch her nails just above my butt. "Hands, fingers, mouths. You know, the usual."