Once Bitten Ch. 07

"You bit me back," she smiled, "we're even."

"No ill effects, you're not going to change into a brownie are you?" I asked.

"No, baby," she smiled and kissed me gently. "It is the way we finish, sharing our magick."

"Fucking intense," I said and rolled onto my back.

She shifted and laid her head on my chest looking into my eyes. Then she shimmered and her mundane form appeared, her blonde hair falling like a golden sheet of satin along her cheeks. The dry hair dampened as it soaked up the water pooled on my chest.

She leaned and kissed me, then rose up.

"That was incredible, Rick," she said, cheerily, "We will have to do that again, lots."

She disappeared down the hall, and then returned with two towels, and her clothes she had discarded before she stepped into the shower.

She handed me a towel as she towel dried her hair. I slid to the edge of the bed and stood, drying myself. I turned towards her and used my towel to dry her back and bottom. She smiled at me, and returned the favor.

We wordlessly dressed, she returned to her business attire, and I chose a pair of khaki slacks with an orange golf shirt. I was pulling on my belt when she turned to me, her eyes shining with a renewed vigor.

"What I was going to tell you earlier," she started, "was that we found where your past incarnation stashed your treasures."

"Treasures?" I asked.

"Yes, it seems your favorite way to store your wealth was in hard currency, gold, jewels and other treasures buried in an underground vault," Sammi describes, "I hear it's like Alladin's cave in Arabian Nights."

That raised my eyebrows, in surprise. Though mostly because it would be cool if I had a genie lamp stored somewhere, or a flying carpet. I decided it'd be better not to say that aloud.

"Anyway," she smiled, apparently long silences made her uncomfortable, "Our teams have located it and are developing a plan to extract the gold and treasures. It will take a while to liquidate and exchange it into more spendable currency. We did find one off-shore account tied to one of your more recent of your avatars. Looks like the last deposit was about ten years ago, from an account in the Philippines."

"Interesting," I said, "How did I get from the Philippines to here, and am Filipino??"

"You're an incubus, silly." She smiled, "Remember your mundane form is like a mask. You choose it - subconsciously usually - to fit in with the current culture around you. You probably sailed on a merchant ship to here. Somewhere along the way you recycled and got stuck in your old mundane form. Then when we woke you up, you adapted to this... much better version."

"So how much money do I have?" I asked, not really concerned.

"In the one offshore, about ten million USD. We will connect it to your accounts for this identity. For the other stashes you have, we estimate over a billion dollars. It's hard to estimate how much it will actually be until it's liquidated."

"Wow," I said, unable to say much more.

"See," she said, "You don't have to worry about money. Though if you just spend, spend, spend, you'll draw undue attention to yourself. Which we don't want."

"I understand," I said, "It's good to know, but I have no immediate needs. Maybe I need to get a laptop or something like that. I'm taking Aisha shopping later today. When will I be able to use my credit?"

"Immediately," she said, "No problems. What else do you have planned today?"

"I need to apologize to Celia," I said and related the confusion of the morning. "Then I may just chill and wait for Aisha, yesterday was a bit crowded"

Sammi smiles impishly, "I may be able to help you with the chill part, if you get lonely..."

Then she winked and laughed and was gone with a pop as she transported.

Showered, dressed and feeling charged thanks to Sammi's impromptu visit, I was ready to start the day. Before I went downstairs, I remembered my quick exit from Rachael's bedroom. I pulled out my phone, and was relieved there wasn't a stream of texts from her.

I tapped out a quick message to Rachael: "Hope you have a great day."

I waited and saw the icon change saying that the message was read, then the cycling dots that revealed she was typing back.

Rachael: You too! xoxo

I smiled. That was good, she was back to normal, and fine with where we left things.

I walked downstairs, and opened the dryer. I removed Celia's dress - It looked fine, not shrunken or malformed from the trip through my washing machine and dryer - and slid the dress onto a hanger. I examined my shirt and trousers and saw no sign of marinara stain, and hung them in the laundry room.

I tidied up the kitchen from the aborted dinner last night. Filled the dishwasher and started it. Then I went back upstairs to collect the soaked sheets and started a load of laundry.

I grabbed my car keys, my phone and Celia's dress then left the apartment. I realized I hadn't had much to eat since the burger at the mall. So I walked to the elevators, thinking there may be a coffee shop in the lobby of the hotel across the street.

Since Celia never called or texted me, I didn't have her number yet. I walked first to the deli, carrying her dress and entered with a smile. She leaned over the counter with her chin in her hands, and looked up as I entered. She smiled back, her eyes widening.

"Did you bring me my dress, Romeo?" she said.

She stood up and came from behind the counter and then wrapped me in a tight hug. I looked down at her and held her jaw in my hand, then kissed her softly. She returned the kiss, slowly letting it deepen before she pulled back.

"Forgive the bitch that inhabited my body this morning," she said with a blush, "She hadn't eaten and was grouchy."

"Did she get something to eat?" I asked, "Because I was going to get something at the coffee shop."

"I had a bit, but I would love a venti caramel mocha," she said.

"I'll be back in a flash," I said, handing her the dress.

I walked out of the deli, and walked around the corner to the entrance to the hotel. The lobby had a coffee shop just inside the main doors and I turned inside. It was doing brisk business this time of the day, and so I stood in line. As I was watching I saw Lana's unmistakable red hair bobbing behind the counter.

I grinned as I waited, and she was intent on being a good hostess for her customers. Lana was slightly shorter than me, and taller than either Aisha or Celia. Her trim figure was attractive, her chest size was modest, but perfectly proportional. She had on a green apron, and the standard black blouse. I observed quietly until it was my turn, then her eyes brightened recognizing me.

"Lana, right?" I asked, and she nodded, "I'm Rick."

"Now I'm sorry that I have my hands full, Rick," she flirted, "What can I get you?"

"A venti mocha and a venti caramel mocha," I said, "And some coffee cake, and a cheese danish, A demon needs to eat from time to time."

She called out the order and her helpers started making the drinks and preparing the food. She entered the items into the register, then looked up at me.

"So you're a demon, huh?" she winked, "Don't get many of those in these parts. Everyone has moved on to medieval dragon hunters."

I looked at her blankly, not understanding.

"You know, from that show, the Con is filled with those cosplayers." She said.

Which really didn't help much with my understanding of what she was talking about. I took out my wallet and opened it to pay, as I kept my quizzical look focused on her.

"You've never heard of the Comic Con?" she looked at me and tilted her head, "Well hallelujah, there is hope for the human race," then looked at the register, "That'll be $11.65"

"Sorry," I said, passing over a twenty, "I am new in town. Keep the tip."

She smiled, and put the change in the tip jar, "Thank you much."

"We really should meet so you can clue me in on this ... Con thing." I said, with a smile.

"I have a feeling, doll," she smiled, "We wouldn't do much talking."

I chuckled, and nodded, then repeated her room number.

"You got it hon," she said, "Hope to see you soon," then she was onto the next customer.

I grabbed my drink and food from the counter, then headed back to the deli. Celia smiled from behind the counter as I approached.

"Mmm," she said, tasting the hot drink, "I need the caffeine."

"You know that's mostly sugar, right?" I corrected, "The rush you feel is the sugar rush."

I leaned my hip against the counter and started eating my cheese danish. She looked at me and smiled.

"I did enjoy the rush you gave me yesterday," she teased, "All of them."

"Me too," I said, "Sorry I overslept. I didn't know you had to be in early."

"My fault entirely," Celia smiled and rubbed my hand.

She looked down at the counter then to look at me, "So you have another girl too?"

I nodded, "I'm not very good at monogamy," I admitted.

"I get that,' Celia said holding my gaze, "I'm not looking for a relationship, just maybe something more than a random hookup."

"I'd like that," I said, "I would enjoy learning more about you."

Celia grinned broadly, her eyes sparkled, and we shared a look. I continued to eat my baked goods, and drink my coffee. She quietly sipped her coffee, then had to help a customer. I slid to the side of her counter as she did business.

When the customer left, she walked around the counter. She slid against me, and wrapped her arms around me. I lowered my mouth and kissed her as I hugged her close.

"I promise I won't get jealous," Celia said, "I just want to keep you close, at least for a while."

"I'll be right here, I want to know more about you." I said, "I am going shopping later today, thought, with another girl in the building."

I knew I was risking souring the moment with the full disclosure, but reasoned that no secrets was better than the feeling of hiding who I was. She smiled genuinely, and kissed me, then stepped back to go back to her counter.

"That sounds cool," she said, "I hope you have fun."

I finished my coffee and deposited my trash in the can by the door. I looked at her and waved as I backed out of the door. She smiled, waved and blew a kiss.

"I'm really bad at small talk," I thought to myself.

I strolled back across the street and took the stairs into the parking garage. I got in my car and pulled out of the garage. I called Sammi while stopped at the first light.

"Hey there tiger," she said, as she answered, "Miss me already?"

"I wanted to see if I could visit Trish?" I asked, "Is there some secret code to get into the Enclave?"

"Hmmm," she said, "Let me look, and I'll call you back."

"Okay," I said, and hung up.

I decided to cruise down harbor and look at the waterfront. After two lights Sammi appeared in my passenger seat with a flash of light and a pop.

"I thought you were going to call?" I asked looking around to see if anyone noticed her sudden appearance.

"Oh, I wasn't busy," she said with a wave of her hand, "So I figured I'd take you on a field trip, show you around."

"I was just interested in seeing how Trish was doing," I replied, "Not a tour."

"We'll see her," Sammi said, "She's not in the Enclave anymore, she's free in the wild, like you. TURN HERE!"

I swerved to make the sudden left hand turn, as she was pointing through my window. Two lanes of traffic behind me laid on their horns as I swerved severely in front of them. Narrowly escaping a three car accident, we continued down the street she had indicated.

"A little warning next time would be nice," I groused.

"Sorry," Sammi said nonplussed, "Take the freeway north, we've got a ways to go."

She gave me general directions, and I understood how to get there. It was about a twenty minute drive with no traffic. During this time of day there were just pockets of traffic along the route. Sammi held my hand, and it felt good to share some affection with her. I wondered how our relationship would change after our interlude in the shower.

I looked at the clock on the console, I didn't want to be late for my date with Aisha. After a quick time-distance calculation, I figured I had enough time. Sammi looked at me and smiled, we couldn't talk much with the top down. So the drive was quiet. When I pulled off the interstate, she started talking more, and giving me directions.

"Trish," she started, "Well now she's Jess. She had to get a new identity too. She decided to take on a bit more different appearance from her original self"

"Oh?" I asked.

"You'll see," Sammi smiled, "Same girl underneath. She got a great assignment for a brownie."

"Well, this neighborhood is pretty posh." I noted.

We were cruising down a curvy road, the large mansions were set further and further apart. They hugged the road, and beyond the large estates were small craggy cliffs along the coast. The air smelled of the sea with breezes cooler than downtown.

"In here," she said, and I cruised into the driveway, and an electronically controlled gate.

"It's Sammi," she called out, "Visiting Tri.. Jess."

The gate rose up, and I pulled into the drive. I looked over at her with a grin.

"You need to work on remembering our names," I joked.

She smacked my arm, "She just got her papers this morning, give a girl a break, Tom."

"Rick," I said and laughed.

"Park here, near the garage, RICK," she emphasized, but with a bright grin.

I parked just outside of a long garage, and got out of the car. Sammi was tapping on her phone, so I walked around and opened her door. She smiled as I offered her my hand, and she swung out.

"Such a gentleman," she winked, "I just texted Jess and she's on the way. Remember she may not recognize you."

"How could I forget the guy that fucked me into faerieland??" said Jess walking around the corner.

I did recognize her although she was a few inches shorter, dark black straight hair, high cheekbones, almond shaped eyes, and a warm honey skin tone. In other words she looked nothing like the Trish I knew. Yet, I knew without a doubt, that Jess was Trish.

Something innate about her reinforced that I knew her. I wondered if I knew her in my previous incarnation, since apparently much of my wealth was in the Philippines. Was this mask she was wearing now something I knew from my previous life?

Her dark brown eyes sparkled and she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight. I smiled broadly and wrapped my arms around her.

"I'm so glad you're doing okay," I said, "I was really worried about you."

She looked up at me, then lifted to her toes and gave me a full kiss, her brown eyes warm and radiant.

"You bit me!" She smiled and then bared her fangs and bit me back.

Her venom was bright, and it made me shudder. She teased her tongue over the small punctures from her needle like fangs and I growled.

"Damn," I said, "I was thinking I had ruined your life, and now it seems you want another dose of me."

"Maybe I do?" She grinned, "Beside, mundane life was sucking. Living with you was the brightest part of my life. I was in debt, no prospects. Now I'm living the highlife keeping stuff running at the Estate! You changed everything."

"The Estate, what's that?" I asked, "And what are you running?"

"This is the Estate," she said, "I'm a brownie, so domestic service is my superpower,"

"So you're a housekeeper," I teased.

"Tom," she started.

"Rick now," I corrected, with a smile.

"Whatever," she punched me in the side, "I work for a great mundane, she lets us do what we need to do, doesn't micro manage, and... there are some fringe benefits I'll have to tell you about someday. Also this scratches my submissive itch, like nothing else. Making people happy makes me purr."

"I'm glad you're happy," I said, "I wish I knew you better before we both changed"

"We were both trapped, Rick," she said, "Now we can be who we were meant to be."

I looked over at Sammi, who was all smiles, watching us from a step or two away. I waved her over and she came and hugged us both.

"You guys were a fun operation," she said, "a bit unpredictable, and I would have liked it to be a bit more slower and in control. But I'm so elated to see you both happy."

I hadn't really thought about it, but I was much happier as Rick, than I ever felt as Tom. Jess had embraced her new persona so well, it was infectious. I may be grumpy about not getting all the answers I wanted. But I also knew Sammi supported me in all things.

Sammi and Jess continued to chat about something, so I looked around the grounds. The mansion felt like a resort. It was an expansive, understated building running along the ridge of the cliff. It appeared to be built right into the side of solid rock, then anchored with structural steel. It was built to last, and also largely unnoticeable from the nearby road. The grounds of the Estate were a mix of trees, and wooded paths. I blinked as I saw a fox trotting towards us, passing without any fear, and zig zagged down the path.

"Who lives here?" I asked Sammi and Jess.

"The bosses," Sammi said, "They moved into town a few years ago, and completely integrated with the fae folk in town. They have been great, and have awesome ideas to help us build our community, collaborate together, and be beneficial to our hosts."

"Sammi was telling me, if it wasn't for them, we probably would still be trapped," Jess said, "Before they came along many fae were unable to recycle. They developed a program to find stuck fae, and help them with magic to recycle. Like Sammi did for us."

I checked the time on my phone, and sighed, "I probably need to go, I have a date in a bit, and need to drive back."

"Save a date for me?" Jess said, "I do want to thank you. You changed my whole outlook on life."

"It was all because of her," I winked at Sammi, "but I'd love to have a date with you. I handed her my phone, "give me your digits and I'll give you a call."

Jess tapped in her number and sent herself a text, "Now we have each other's number." She grinned.

"Do you need a ride back to town, Sammi?" I asked.

"No I need to go check in with my boss," she said with a bit of a frown. "She's not at the Enclave today. So this trip was a two-fer. She will be thrilled that this operation can be marked complete. Have a great date."

I hugged them both tightly. Knowing that Trish/Jess was happy and healthy made me smile all the way back to the Fairview Apartments. I parked, then decided, after I put the sheets in the dryer, that I had enough time to take a quick shower and dress nice for Aisha.

Soon I was looking sharp, dressed in dark navy slacks, black shoes, and a crisp white short sleeve shirt. The lines of the clothes accentuated my new physique and I was able to walk confidently to Aisha's apartment with her gift bag in hand.

I knocked on the door, and it wasn't long before the door opened and I was treated to Aisha's smile and her soft brown eyes. She opened the door wide, and invited me in. She was dressed in much the same way that I met her, a tunic and loose leggings.

Today's version was a bit more formal, the tunic was burgundy with golden trim, the neckline was slightly open which exposed modestly her mocha-colored flesh. She looked radiant when she smiled.

"I brought you a gift," I said and held out the gift bag.

"Thank you Trick," she said in her charming voice, and peeked inside, "Oh, this is a bold move for a first date."

"I hope you like it," I said, with a grin.

"I hope you like it, Trick," she matched my grin, "Maybe I should model it for you now?"

"If you did that, we probably would get distracted from getting you a new swimsuit," I said, "Where would you like to go to shop."

"Up in the valley I think," she said, "More time with you than the mall down the street."