Princess Prick Tease Ch. 02

Grace couldn't work out why Tristan was being so nice to them all. When he spoke to her it was always with disdain calling her a tease that needed to be taught a lesson. She looked up at him and felt she could have combusted from the smouldering heat in his glare. Grace did not answer but allowed herself to be carried along with the party. They split up on the street outside heading towards different cars. Tristan's hand had wrapped around her upper arm in a firm grip as if afraid she would escape him and he stood holding her door open as she climbed into the front passengers seat of his car, leaving the back for Adam and Gareth.

"Another of my brother's will be at The Zoo if you want to sleep with him as well," Tristan said a little too loudly and Gareth burst out in fits of giggles as Adam gained his composure enough to try and defend Grace.

"Not cool man, low blow," was the best Adam could come up with.

Grace flushed ten kinds of pink and died a little inside letting her princess take hold. "Interesting proposition, don't wait up for me tonight Adam, you know how us princess types are." The smirk disappeared from Tristan's face and he turned his head fixing the full force of his burning gaze onto her. Inside she did a little happy dance, she wasn't some love struck girl that would follow him around like a puppy in case he deigned to look her way.

They travelled in silence aside of the small sniggers from Gareth in the back seat, but it wasn't far and within fifteen minutes they were pulling into the parking garage of a building in the same street as the club. Walking through the front door it appeared just as a normal club and Grace felt deflated. She had expected something quite different; not quite a full on orgy by at least some serious nudity and heavy petting. The crowded room was typically set with the bar located centrally and a large dance floor at the far end. Her wrist was stamped upon entry and she was handed a token which she looked at quizzically. "It's for the voting," Tristan rumbled close to her ear again. She felt the tingles again. Trying to work out why a man who constantly seemed angry towards her and seemed to enjoy humiliating her would turn her on so much she followed the men aimlessly until she found herself looking at a life-sized picture of herself in costume.

Her mouth dropped open and she suddenly became aware of the people gathered around the photo. "I'll be back," Tristan rumbled, "Your prints are along this wall, the competition is along the back and other side. I will find you in a few minutes." Unlike the club they had just left which pumped set music through large speakers this club had a DJ who spoke often over and through the music. It was hard to hear what the people were saying about the photos as they grew closer to the sound system mostly though the comments ranged from flattering to outright lewd. She couldn't discern anything truly negative from them.

They walked slowly around the edges of the club looking at the competition, one a variation on the Rocky Horror theme and another, gothic looking vampires. Each of the collections was very different from each other and she realised that the gothic vampire theme was possibly more accessible to the average club patron than either of the other two especially with the popularity of several vampire series on television recently. She was disappointed for Adam but didn't let it show. When Tristan rejoined them Adam asked the same question she had been thinking.

"I thought this place had membership and would be pretty swanky, it's like a normal club," his disappointment could be heard in his voice.

"Yeah, all posers and wannabe's, there's hardly a real dominant in sight. Disappointing isn't it after the press gave it such a bad name," Tristan agreed. "Anyway onto the bet I have the perfect judge," he wrapped his hand around Graces upper arm again and propelled her through the crowd to the bar. He nodded to a girl behind the bar who gave him three beers and a blue drink in a large fluted glass. "It's a fruit tingle," he rumbled into Grace's ear passing her the drink. She took a sip and found it danced on her tongue as if she had been eating popping candy.

Once they all had a drink they walked back toward the front of the club once again; Tristan's hand held her arm tightly. They walked toward the Satyr photo, it was the one with the least face paint and prosthetics and a tall man with long dark hair turned and smiled a half smile at them as they approached. Grace recognised the smile and watched his mouth as he spoke in greeting knowing this was Tristan's brother. Tristan introduced him as Lad and in turn introduced them to him. Grace considered what she knew of the brothers and spoke up as he bent to kiss her cheek as she was introduced.

"Lad is short for Galahad I take it?" She grinned at his surprised expression.

"Lance told her," Tristan confirmed when Lad looked quizzically at him.

"Ooh Sir Galahad," Eve practically swooned as she came to stand behind them with Maggie, Kane and the others.

"Wholly shit," Kane said, "You never told us they blew up the picture to life size. She looks amazing!"

"Shut up you idiot. No one is supposed to know remember?" Maggie elbowed Kane hard in the ribs.

"Adam is the designer and artist," Tristan said to another quizzical look from Lad, purposefully omitting that Grace was the model.

"You and I have got to talk," Lad turned his full attention to Adam, "They're amazing shots, I can't wait to meet the model next week when you both come in."

"You already met her," Adam laughed, "Geez I should have placed money on that bet."

"Nights not over yet," Princess Grace retorted, "He was just introduced to ten people in ten seconds as if he would take notice of who is who." Lad was looking between the photo and Grace by this stage with a look of wonder on his face and she groaned. The arrogant smirk had appeared on Tristan's face so she pulled her arm away from his grip surprising him and taking two steps toward the picture she turned to look at the group, "Fine, it's me and I like it. I like being up there, I like the comments I have heard tonight, I like that Adam's genius could make frumpy little Gracie look that amazing."

Looking around she saw a crowd gathering and fled back toward the entrance planning on catching a cab home and to get away from the fact that she just humiliated herself in front of her friends as well as strangers. Adam knew how she felt, they had talked about it just last night, but Eve and Maggie and the others didn't know she was a secret exhibitionist. Worst of all she had proved Tristan right in calling her Princess Prick Tease.

She had made it half way to the door before a security man stopped her and inquired if she was alright. "She is fine," Tristan said from behind her.

"Yes, I am fine," Grace smiled crookedly at the security man and turned to look up at Tristan, "Happy now?"

"It's a start," Tristan's mouth quirked up into that arrogant smile that gave her tingles. "As much as I would like to give you another lesson in who you can and can't tease with that amazing body, you have been summoned to the owner's office."

This time he took her hand and led her back to the picture they had all been standing around finding only Adam and Lad still there. Lad lead the way into a closed door Grace hadn't noticed before so well it blended into the surroundings of the club. They walked into a quiet piano bar type area which was entirely more what she had expected in the main part of the club. Well-dressed men and women lounged in comfortable chairs and a small bar was manned by a young man as two girls circulated around the room taking drink orders. The room reeked of extravagance and money. Lad led them to the bar and ordered drinks to be brought to the office before walking on and through another door.

Lad spoke mainly to Adam, telling him that the club had received several offers for the actual photographs. If he considered putting them into an art show or silent auction in the lounge they had just passed through during the Halloween ball he could keep half of the proceeds which would be quite substantial, the other half going to their chosen charity. In this case Butterfly House, a charity that worked with children in the foster care system.

Adam as always was enthusiastic at the thought of becoming a known photographic artist in addition to designer. In his mind he could see a range of fantasy portraits done for the elite crowd in the room they had just walked though. Caught up in his own ambition it took him sometime before he realised that Grace would be the one with her photo hanging in someone else's home. He looked over at her and smiled.

"No one has known it was you until you let it slip. This could be great for us. Think about the extra money. You could go on a proper holiday, leave that boring job and find something you like to do, buy some fabulous clothes from a designer you know well at mate's rates!" Adam chuckled, "I'll still make you something fabulous to wear for Halloween. We aren't going to win with that crowd out there. This is guaranteed money and I promised you half already."

"Okay," she agreed, "But you can't use any of the ones you still have on your computer at home, where I am recognisable."

"There's more?" Lad asked.

"Are you kidding, it took my snap happy friend here longer to find his perfect shot than it did to apply all that body paint," she laughed.

"I'd like to see, maybe there are a few more we could use that would still keep your anonymity," Lad seemed eager to see the full collection.

"Sure come by anytime," Adam said happily.

"Anytime I am there to use my veto," Grace corrected him. She took another sip of her drink. She was enjoying the fruit tingles and the way they danced across her tongue. "Plus," she continued feeling freer now that she had let her princess out during her tantrum, admitting she liked the exhibitionism and the attention being Adam's model had given her, "I would hate to disappoint Tristan by not flirting with one of his brothers."

"We can't be disappointing Tristan now can we," that lazy half smile crept onto his face as he looked at Tristan, "I will look forward to it immensely."

"Well, I agree to the five photos you have out there, and reserve the right to veto any of the others you like and want to auction off. Adam can work out all the details because I need another drink," she stood up too quickly and wobbled in her high heels.

"I think you have had enough," Tristan rumbled in his deep voice and Adam picked up the hint of anger there. Taking a business card out of his wallet he tossed it on the desk to Lad.

"Give me a call; we'll set something up during the week. I better take her home. I think it's all been a bit too confronting tonight," he moved toward Grace but Tristan stood and blocked his way.

"I can take her home, if you want to stay and iron things out," the deep voice still held an edge that made Adam uncomfortable.

"Thanks, but Grace is staying at my place tonight anyway," Adam smiled.

"So who's got the bigger cock?" Lad laughed watching the two men eye each other warily.

"Tristan but I have known Adam's longer," Grace laughed with him.

"I thought you only slept with Lance," Adam looked surprised and Grace realised she had left out the interlude in the alleyway.

"Technically, I didn't actually sleep with either of them," she quipped covering herself and grinned at Adam.

"Geez Gracie, what have I done to my frumpy uptight friend?" Adam groaned, receiving puzzled looks from Tristan and Lad.

"Oh don't worry you didn't kill her on your own," Grace slurred slightly, "That one helped." She waved a hand in Tristan's direction to more laughter from Lad.

"You are priceless. How about lunch tomorrow, Grace?" Lad offered, "Write down your number and I'll pick you up at eleven after you have slept this one off.

"Oh sure, then I only have to find the other two brothers and I will have the whole set!" Grace giggled.

"Let's take her home," Tristan growled, "I'll drive you both."

Adam took her hand and Grace blew a kiss to the still laughing Lad as Tristan followed them out of the office and through the piano bar. They poured Grace into the back seat of Tristan's car where she passed out. The drive home was punctuated with directions given by Adam and stilted questions as they attempted to work each other out.

Grace woke up in the day bed in Adam's studio to the sound of her phone ringing. Finding it lying beside her bed she croaked into it, "Hello?"

"Did you forget our lunch date?" A cheery voice said.

"Who is this?" her voice was still husky.

"Lad, we met last night. I am Tristan's brother," Grace could hear the humour in his voice.

"I can barely move, I can't go anywhere, I think that blue drink Tristan gave me was toxic," she groaned.

"That's okay I am bringing lunch to you. Come open the door," Lad let his chuckle burst forth as she swore.

"Shit! What? Noooo!" Grace was instantly wide awake as she heard the feint knocking. She heard Adam grumble as he moved toward the door in his boxers and realising she was naked panicked and hung up. She had barely wrapped the sheet around her and got out of the day bed when Adam walked in with not only Lad behind him but Tristan as well, looking dark and stormy.

"Shit! Adam what happened to my clothes?" She felt like she could have melted under the gaze of Tristan.

"You mean that trail of clothes we followed on the way in?" Lad made no attempt to hide his amusement at her predicament. "If meeting me in a sheet alone is your way of flirting I approve," he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"Oh god what did I do?" She walked tripping over the long sheet to the closet of Adams designs. "Adam choose quickly or I am taking whatever I can lay my hand on," she demanded.

"Take what you want," Adam grumbled and turned on his computer. "This was your idea I believe."

"Tristan fed me that blue stupid juice, all responsibility for my dumb-assery falls on him," Princess Grace had fully woken up and she picked through the closet not wanting to take anything he held dear.

Lad hadn't stopped laughing, "Dumb-assery. Yeah Tristan tends to bring that out in the women he likes."

"You don't try to kill people you like with toxic blue drinks," Grace retorted and turned on Adam. "Some best friend you are, help me Adam, I don't know which ones are my size."

"Here," Adam said, "I have opened the folder with all the photos of the costumes; have a browse through while I help the princess find a gown and tiara to hold court in, and grab some pants myself."

"I see I am not the only one to think she is a Princess," Tristan rumbled.

Adam passed her what she thought was another white sheet and she stumbled out of the studio, tripping over the white sheet as she went. She looked around at the trail of clothes across the living and bending to pick them up as she went she found her underwear with the tight hotpants she had worn the night before. Better than nothing she decided and went to the bathroom cringing as she looked into the mirror at the remnants of her make-up and bed hair.

Deciding on a quick shower, she scrubbed her face and dampened the wild looking waves in her hair into some semblance of control giving the rest of her body a cursory wash before hurrying to dress. The white dress was gorgeous she realised, not that she should have been surprised, Adam had created it after all, the short skirt was held in place by a thin band that wound around her hips and the halter top crossed over in the front revealing a triangles of skin around her navel, ribs and cleavage, not that she had much cleavage to start with.

She tied her hair up in a messy knot feeling much more in control of herself, and prepared to face the two men who had arrived, padded back to the studio in full princess mode. She needn't have worried about the extra time it took to have a shower as the three men were looking at the computer. Tristan looked up almost immediately, that lazy smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as she sat in her favourite old battered chair. He left the computer and approached her pulling another chair close to hers before sitting.

"How's the head?" his deep voice held humour as he passed her a bottle of water from a large basket that had been placed on the table, their fingers touching briefly as she took it. Grace smiled at him wondering how this dark foreboding man managed to make her feel so hot just by his proximity.

"I'll live," she grimaced, "No thanks to you. What was in those blue drinks?"

"Nothing truly toxic," he let his chuckle be heard.

"Toxic enough that I made a lunch date with another one of your brother's," she indicated Lad standing with Adam at the computer.

"I think he's more enamoured of your friend than you, sorry to burst your bubble. Lad loves discovering new artists and designers and introducing them to his pretentious friends," He followed her gaze to the two men at the computer, "This could be quite a lucrative friendship for Adam if he is willing to play the schmooze or lose game with Lad. He has all the right contacts, and they will just lap up Adam's work and in turn, you."

"Me? I don't have any talent," She said startled by his remarks.

"From what I can see, Adam has created most of his work around you. Not just the costumes but the clothes which he said were all your size, you could have chosen anything to wear," he considered her and her surprised expression, before voicing his opinion, "He is in love with you."

Grace laughed, "Oh yeah, like a bratty kid sister. We tried dating once a few years ago, it was disastrous to say the least. He may love me, and I him, but not the way you think. Adam is not a one woman or man type of guy and I am too selfish to share."

"Ah such a princess, selfish and spoilt," Tristan smirked at her and she felt her hackles rise.

"Here I was thinking my lunch date was with Sir Galahad the good, not Sir Tristan the arrogant. Excuse me please," She stood up and curtsied before walking across to the desk where Lad and Adam had looked up and were watching them with soft chuckles.

"Adam stop bogarting my lunch date, Tristan is trying to drive me insane since his attempts to kill me last night were thwarted." Grace pouted purposefully.

Adam pleaded innocence and laughing loudly Lad stood up and offered her his arm, gallantly leading her back to the small table and Tristan where the basket lay. Grace noted that the menace in Tristan's eyes showed once again and physically flinched as he turned that gaze on her. Lad noticed and took in Tristan's scowl.

"Don't worry about him, he is still pissed that you let Lance get into your pants, and now you are flirting with me just the way I like," Lad grinned and kissed her hand in a show of chivalry. Grace pretended to swoon as she sat down again.

"Too bad Adam is more your type, there goes my chance at the whole set of brothers, a girl can but dream," she said wistfully.

"I love this girl," Lad said laughing loudly and Adam shocked by how she was acting with these men but also laughing agreed whole heartedly. "I wouldn't have thought she was your type at all Tristan," Lad addressed his brother, "Way too sassy for you."

"Normally she isn't such a sassy princess. I think Tristan brings that out in her. I had to beg for days to get her to model for me. She would never have sat so comfortably in one of my dresses before the last few weeks. She was my shy nerdy best friend and I think we might have broken her," Adam looked at her seriously.

"What can I say, being nerdy is cool these days. Someone has to like the less flashy jobs, we can't all be artistic like you, and get by on the odd commission that comes our way." Grace wavered between the indignant princess and the sane rational side of herself.