Incubus

Light shone through the blue sky, casting golden rays over her pink hair. She was standing in a green field, surrounded by various different coloured roses, each unique in petal and shade. Faceless individuals milled around the roses, some linked by hand, their dresses flowing behind them in the gentle breeze.

It was then she spotted him, kneeling by a pure white rose, admiring it. Silver haired, slim in physique, but dressed in white silk. He looked godly, the only person here to have any facial features. She walked forward, towards him, entranced by the smell of the roses and the shine of his hair.

He stood up slowly, holding a large white rose in his hand, avoiding its thorns and looked at her with beautiful blue eyes. His lashes were pale like his hair, and he smiled a set a white straight teeth. She stopped, feeling the grass beneath her toes, and looked to his hands. The rose glittered and found itself in her hand, morphing as he began to approach her.

The people around her stopped and began to creak, their head vibrating violently. The silver man stopped abruptly. She looked to her hand and the thorns had grown through her skin, impaling and leaking blacked congealed blood. It hurt badly. It leaked onto the dewy grass. She screamed.

~~~

Charlotte awoke with a pant, sitting up as she heard her heartbeat in her eyes. The room was dark, a hint of light peeking through her curtains as if nervous to enter.

She scrabbled for her phone, pressing the button and being assaulted by the bright light. 5.45am. Damn.

She wasn't due at work today and had hoped for a lie in, now she was too spooked to sleep. Peeling back her soft pink blankets, she trotted out of bed and peered out her window. The morning sun was beginning it's ascent into the sky, it was going to be a clear day. Gulls cawed overhead and the city was oddly quiet.

Her dream felt stuck in her head, lodged, and she shivered.

~~~

Meanwhile the first rays of light were worming their way between the curtains and falling on the toned, pale, body of Lucas. The woman whose arms were still wrapped around him was fast asleep, but he was awake, his mind elsewhere entirely.

"Why didn't it work?" He wondered aloud, studying his hand where the rose had been and trying to figure out why he hadn't felt the connection when he had handed it over. "Dammit."

He had entered the dreams of hundreds of women now and none had failed to swoon swoon after he had given them his gift; the woman who lay next to him had certainly fallen, so why not Charlotte? What was special about her? Just getting into her dreams had been a challenge, but that had just made him more determined.

Lifting up Rebekah's arm, he pulled back the covers and lifted himself from her bed, trying to remember which way her room was arranged. 'Was hers the one with the door on the left... Or was that the night before?' he wondered, before his eyes began to adjust and he saw the layout of the room. It was a huge bedroom, and lavishly decorated with art and plants and all of the clothes they had discarded in a hurry the night before. He didn't bother to pick up his underwear as he wandered out onto the grand landing which looked over a marble-tiled enterance hallway below. He doubted that the rich executive type he'd left in bed cleaned all this herself, and he wondered what some of the staff looked like... "It'd be nice to have a maid" he mused, conjuring images of a busty brunette clad in a skimpy outfit, being bent over and made to scream between doing the dishes and the dusting... But then the image began to morph, her breasts shrinking, her hair lightening and then dying itself pink... Before the image of Charlotte disappeared with a puff of fairy-pink smoke.

"What's wrong, handsome?" A sultry voice behind him asked, startling the silver-haired man slightly. He turned around and saw his latest conquest stood stark naked in front of him, her toned and busty body wrapping itself around his. "Come back to bed... I've got a busy day today and my alarm is set for an hour's time, but since I'm up already..." Her lips pressed forcefully against his and he couldn't resist as she dragged him back into the bedroom, pulling him as close to her as she possibly could. His cock hardened again in an instant, much to her delight, but his mind was elsewhere.

"On second thoughts... Why wait to get to bed?" She smirked between kisses, and began to sink to her knees, licking along the length of his shaft and making it as wet as she was. At well over 6 feet tall, Lucas' waist was uncomfortably high for her when she was kneeling, but she didn't mind one bit. Nor did she mind that she had to stretch her mouth as wide as she could to take him in it. This magical thing was worth anything...

He let out a satisfied growl and ran the fingers of one hand through her messy black hair, while he fixed his own hair with the other, checking for stray strands in the huge mirror that covered her sliding wardrobe.

"If you've got work, pretty little thing, you better make sure you swallow every drop. I'd hate to make a mess of you for your meetings..."

"Oh you can make a mess of anything you want but my hair... We might just have to take a shower together to get clean... ish" the lady smirked, taking a brief break from sucking him to catch her breath. "I'm your toy after all, aren't I? That's what you called me last night... Call me that again..."

~~~

That evening the bar was heaving and busy, and this was the final pit stop for Charlotte and her friends. As Charlotte sipped a woowoo, her friend Beni and Rochelle argued over the next drinks for the table.

"Lottie, help me out, we get wine right? A good way to the end of the night," Rochelle followed her arms over her revealed chest, packed tight in a gorgeous red dress, her dark skin littered with black tattoos.

"As if! We get shots!" Remarked Beni, the youngest of the groups, bisexual and proud, blond, thin and wearing his usual beige attire and smart gold rimmed glasses.

"Guys, I've barely finished this drink," laughed Charlotte, stirring her drink. She smoothed her glossy silver dress, her straight pale pink hair hooked behind her ears. Music boomed throughout the room, most people standing by the bar, whereas the her group had sat across it in a cute enclosed booth. Lights flicked on high lofted walls, flashing across the most desirable faces and busty bodies.

"How about both?" Rochelle sighed, she glanced at her phone and sighed again.

"Fine by me, you're ordering," beni watched her sigh, "is that your darling fiancé?" He smirked, "worried about his lady with us devious singles?"

Rochelle shoved him, "oh quiet, you slag, no one could pin you down," she shoved her beeping phone in her bag.

"Guilty!" Beni chugged the rest of his drink, glancing around at all the bodies, "check out these bozos, hot hot hot!"

"You're like a dog in heat, get yourself out there!" Charlotte smiled at her friend, who could easily get who he wanted, "I can't remember the last time I got laid!"

"Three years? Last guy was Alex right?" Rochelle tapped her long red nails on the sticky table.

"Yeah well, I took a while to get over that,"

~~~

Lucas checked his hair one final time as he headed out of Rebekah's door, following the pretty brunette maid who had been keeping him entertained since the homeowner had left for work that morning. Focusing on Charlotte's aura, he tried to track down where she was but there was something in the way, something blocking him. What was it about this girl? He knew she couldn't be far though, and there weren't that many bars to try.

As he returned to his city-center apartment he could feel that she was closer, but was no closer to to figuring out where she was and he realised he was going to have to find her the old fashioned way.

"At least a bar crawl will be fun," he chuckled to himself, picking out an outfit for the evening's work.

~~~

The music was down to a dull techno beat and the friends chinked their glasses, downing vibrant green shots in unison. Charlotte gasped after, as the liquid stung the back of her throat. Beni laughed and picked up his glass of wine, taking a sip.

"God I'm gone mates, but this wine is fucking nice," his eyes scanned the room, shifty and wide, "there are lots of attractive men here tonight, eh?"

"Go speak to one then," Charlotte said, also scanning the room and swilling the red wine in the glass. She looked at the men Beni was referring to but none caught her eye. Was she really so picky? Or was she really still hooked on Alex like Rochelle had said.

"Nah, don't beni, I'll have to help ya into the taxi and I have a pissed off partner to sort out," Rochelle smiled though and sipped her drink, also eyeing up the room. She darted a finger out, "woah! Check. Out. Him!"

Charlotte batted her friends hand down, blushing, "Jesus, Roch, cool your jets!"

Beni glanced where her finger had been, looking at the silver haired man that had just entered the bar. Standing waiting for his drink, women were already scanning him and waiting to make an approach.

"My, my," he remarked.

The man she had been pointing at seemed to be stood on his own with a fruity cocktail in his hand, the light glimmering off his silvery hair. His black blazer was buttoned at his stomach but still shower off the sheer mesh shirt which did little to hide his perfectly-toned physique. He must have seen them pointing because he began to walk over to the tune of the music, smiling at each of them equally before locking into Charlotte as he got closer, his piercing blue gaze making her blush as he pulled up to the table and confidently placed his heeled black boots over the girl's lap.

"You know, I have mightily good hearing," he smirked, "but I didn't catch your name, gorgeous."

"I~I'm cha~" a shiver shot down her spine as Charlotte caught a glimpse of the rose tattoo on the man's forearm and realized, unmistakably, that this was the man from her dreams.

"Nice et you, Charlotte! I should thank you for stopping your friends pointing at me like that... So rude... But then really I should thank them for drawing my attention to a beautiful girl like you..."

The friends looked at one another, each as awestruck as the next by the sheer confidence emminating from this specimen of a man.

Beni shook his head, as if snapping out a trance, and sensed his friends discomfort and outstretched a hand.

"Beni," he introduced, shaking the strangers soft hand, "and this taken lady is Rochelle, we're Charlotte's bestest friends," he grinned to Charlotte who nodded a silent 'thank you', "Why don't you join us?"

Lucas sat, gestured by Beni to sit beside Rochelle and the gang began to discuss each others lives. Charlotte was quiet, regardless of Lucas flirty comments and attempts get to know her, and Beni filling the void on her behalf, she felt an eerie familiarity, like she knew lucas, like she'd gazed into his blue eyes many times. He was stunning, beyond handsome, but she felt herself overwhelmed by his presence. Her friends still seemed shocked and obsessed.

Lucas told the group he worked for his own fashion brand, high end he said, even designed his own unique style. He owned the top apartment of what Rochelle called 'the rich bitch apartments' by the City bay, a sharp 15 minute walk from Charlotte's 'basic bitch apartments'. He was 28, Charlotte feeling young at 22, and a single man. He appeared to like everything Charlotte did, books, history, art, swimming, everything.

As the night neared a close, Rochelle could sense Charlotte's low social battery and pulled her to the bathroom. Once there, as the ladies tweaked at their hair, Rochelle checked on her friend.

"Wow mate, Lucas has been flirting with you alllll night," she pulled at a strand of hair by her face, "seems like a fuck boy, oh wait sorry, 'bachelor'," the girls giggled as a boozy wave hit over them, "but what do you think?"

Charlotte looked at herself in the mirror. Her pale pink hair was fluffy with the heat of the pub and her blue eyes looked tired,

"I mean he's hot and apparently successful," she thought about the rose, "but I'm not gonna fuck him, or nothing, I'm far too exhausted. Plus I think Beni wants him!" She chuckled, hoisting her dress into place.

Rochelle laughed a bit too loud, "I don't think he wants Beni's banger! But let's go home mate, honestly," she hooked arms with her friend and they sauntered out the ladies room and back to the booth.

Beni had his arm around lucas, enamored, showing him something on his phone with glee. Too drunk, thought Charlotte. Rochelle stood, hand on her hip as they approached the table.

"Home time, lad" she turned to lucas, "sorry, we're very tired ladies," she pouted.

"Nice et you," Charlotte said, feeling those blue eyes looking into her very soul.

Beni clambered out the booth, "add me on Instagram!" He slurred. Rochelle rolled her eyes.

"And a pleasure to meet you, too, gorgeous," he smiled as he scooted out of the booth to let Beni out, towering over the two ladies so that they were staring at his almost-bare chest until they craned back their heads a little. Stood this close, she could smell his aftershave for the first time and it immediately seemed familiar... Was it the same that Alex wore, she wondered? No, it was different, but the effect it had on her was identical.

As Beni finished clambering out of the booth behind him, Lucas took another step backwards to leave a polite space and the girls found themselves stepping forward instinctively to fill it and keep the gap small, before slowly shuffling backwards again. As Lucas turned his attention to their other friend, the women looked at each other wide-eyed, communicating their identical feelings without saying a word.

"You better make sure these beautiful girls get home okay, Beni."

"Of course!" The drunkard beamed, just about falling over himself as he tried to stand, held up only by one of Lucas' strong arms which expertly swooped in to catch him, as if he knew where he was going to be before he even got there. As he released the drunken mess he turned to Charlotte with an exaggerated roll of his eyes and silently mouthed the word "Men" with as much sarcasm as he could muster, earning a giggle from Rochelle.

"A photo booth!" Beni called out as he twirled away, cutting off Lucas just as he opened his mouth. "We should get our pictures taken together, to remember the night!"

"Well he'll certainly not remember it any other way," the other three all laughed, almost in unison, shock spreading over their faces that they'd had the exact same thought.

"Common let's go! I want pictures!" Beni insisted, taking the chance to grab Lucas by the arm and drag him in the direction of the booth, with the girls following behind with a sigh and ducking into the capsule that was so small he seemed to fill it completely with his broad shoulders and long legs, not that Beni seemed to mind having to squeeze in so tightly with the new object of his adoration. He made space for Rochelle and held onto her waist to help her porch on the edge of the small seat, buy Charlotte was less sure, tentatively trying to squeeze in without wanting to touch him too much, still feeling uneasy with his presence. But when she felt a strong hand grab her by the hips and pull her in, she physically wasn't able to resist and fell right into his lap with a surprised squeal. His hands were huge and one of them was plenty to grip her petite frame and let her wriggle only a little as she tried to find a comfortable spot to pose.

"If you keep squirming on me like that, your round little butt is going to wake something up," he whispered into her ear with a purr, before shifting her so she was resting right on his crotch.

"Smile!"

The camera flashed and took the image, the 10 second countdown before the next starting immediately

"Let's get a silly one!" Beni called out, sticking out his tongue and pulling a cutesy expression. Rochelle followed suit, squishing her breasts together as she threw up peace signs and pushed her lips into a ridiculous duck-face. Lucas opened his mouth wide, baring a set of teeth that couldn't have been more perfect and unfurling his unusually long tongue into the best Gene Simmons impression any of them had ever seen, right by Lottie's face, shocking her so much she almost forgot about the booth and only had time to extend her surprise into a shocked charicature.

"Jesus... What can you do with that thing?!" Beni exclaimed, any inhibitions long since replaced by inebriation, making Rochelle burst out laughing.

"This..." Lucas smirked, putting a finger under Charlotte's chin and pulling her into an entwining kiss just as the camera flashed, the look of utter shock captured in the photo for ever, right before she pulled back the curtain and darted out into the bar.

"Jesus... Bagsy keeping the photos!" Beni exclaimed, darting out to grab them before anyone else could move, leaving Rochelle and Lucas alone behind the curtain.

"Fuck," Rochelle gasped, clopped out the booth in her heels, clipping Beni over the back of the head, "come on, we need to catch up with Lottie! And give me them photos!" She snatched them, four in total, and tore two off, handing one to Beni and one to Lucas. She turned to Lucas sharply, "you can't just stick your tongue down a woman's throat!" She was angry but also felt a compelling attraction. No, she told herself, Harry is at home.

"Sorry, Rochelle," God why did he say her name like that, "couldn't help myself," she felt herself stepping forward, shook her head and grabbed Beni by the arm, "come on, Beni!"

Rochelle and Beni shuffled through the crowds and were hit by rain the minute they found themselves outside. Rochelle huffed, Beni groaned and they both looked for Lottie. She was standing by the wall, her dress sticking to her slim body, away from the bar, by a puddle of her sick.

"Jeez, Lottie I'm so sorry," Beni mumbled, hugging his friend close. Rochelle came over too, slipping one of the photos in Charlotte's purse before hugging her too.

"It's the booze!" Charlottle claimed, but she sounded uncertain. It wasn't the booze.

×××

'Home' texted the friends to the group chat, Beni apologising for being a mess, Rochelle posting her expertly taken photos. Charlotte smiled as she sat in bed, but a lump was in her throat. She tucked under the covers.

Lucas was very attractive, so why was she so uncertain? She thought about his soft lips and tongue and got excited, only for it to be extinguished like a flame. Was it her? She thought about the way his hands felt and wanted to touch herself, but didn't. She texted 'great night guys! :)))' and fell asleep.

×××

As she drifted off, she dreamt she was back in that booth, but her friends were absent this time, it was just her and Lucas, his strong hands gripping her close, his deep voice sultry in her ear.

"Smile!"

"Pose!"

"Good girl!"

"Don't fight it..."

A hand slid down her thigh as the camera flashed, and she saw the piercing gaze of the blue eyes on the screen, feeling it wander all over her body. Plenty of men had stared at her, she always got plenty of attention... But not like this, this felt different. Nobody had ever looked at her quite like he was.

She felt his hand side back up, pulling her dress with it and revealing the lacy black underwear beneath. She wanted to stop him, to push him away, to run like she had, but she didn't. His scent was all over her, familiar and alien all at once. His hands were controlling her, his touch utterly irresistible.

The camera flashed and her dress disappeared, sequins scattering in the like like a million sparkling stars. She saw herself exposed to him, her perky breasts held perfectly in place by a matching black bra.