When the Spirits Move Me

Author's Note: If you wish to learn how this menagerie came together, please read the series, A Vital Appreciation. This narrative has taken a turn and I felt it needed a new title. If you don't care about the back story, that's fine. Ray and Brooke and Julia will live on anyway,... as if you were never there.

The tree tops stirred in the wind and the waxing moon lit their leaves, but even the brightest stars could not be seen as the city glowed still with a mercury-vapor haze. Ray liked it up here anyway-up on the flat roof of his century-old house. He had hauled up a couple of lawn chairs and a little glass-topped side table for his evening meditations, and the night found him now with a glass of Scotch in his hand and his feet propped up on the two-foot parapet.

Ray stirred from his reverie as he heard the crunch of footfalls on gravel. A scrape of the second chair, two glugs of liquor poured and a the crack of bottle-on-glass, drew his attention. He glanced over and said, "I thought it might be you."

A few minutes of companionable silence passed.

Ray reached in his pocket and produced a pack of Marlboro reds and a book of matches. He tossed them on the table with, "I got these for you. You know, nobody smokes these anymore. You should quit."

Three strikes on the matchbook cover, a flash of orange guttering flame and an exhalation of tobacco smoke.

"Did I ever tell you, I was married before?" asked Ray. He glanced over and continued, "Yeah, I didn't think so. Well, she was a wonderful woman, just super, and we had 20 good years together, before she passed. But, you know what? It was hard. It was hard to lose her. It was hard to keep her. Relationships are just hard. You gotta work at 'em. You know?"

Ray paused a moment to collect his thoughts. He continued, "The thing is, I never expected to be in a relationship with a woman again, much less TWO at the same time! Somehow, though, it's been easier than I thought it would be. We seem to click, don't you think? It's sort of like a Three's Company situation, but with more sex." He chuckled, paused and added, "And...you don't get that reference, do you? Sometimes, I forget about our age difference."

He took a sip from his glass and said, "I am glad you're here, though." Ray glanced over and said, "You've brought new life, new energy to our little family. You've made my dick longer and harder than I can ever remember." He chuckled, then paused, smiled genuinely and completed his thought with, "And the sex, well, is astounding."

Ray pushed his chair back, stood and said, "I need to go now. Brooke needs me in the bedroom. A 'command performance,' you know. I'll leave the bottle." As he approached the hatch he turned and said, "If you feel like joining us, you are very welcome." Ray nodded to punctuate his offer, lifted the metal lid and cautiously descended the narrow staircase to the second floor hall; and pulled the hatch lid down behind him.

Three minutes later, the hatch opened and Brooke popped up. She was dressed in a white robe, hastily thrown on, that hung open exposing a narrow strip of bare flesh from her neck to her knees. "Hey, Ray!" She called out, "Baby, are you still up here?" From inside the house, Ray's response could be heard faintly, "I'm in the bathroom. Be out in a minute."

Brooke glanced back over at the two chairs and the small table. She saw no one. There was a thin, ethereal fog rising from the surface of the roof that caused her to shiver, so she descended the stairs and pulled the hatch down behind her. It locked with a click.

It was the tick, tick, tick of rain dripping on the sill outside their bedroom window that woke Ray. The morning light was grey and he fumbled around for covers, but they had been pulled from his reach. He lay naked on his side and felt not cold, but exposed. From the corner of the room, he heard, "Good morning, sweetheart. Don't move. I'm almost finished."

Brooke sat cross-legged in an overstuffed arm chair with her sketch pad on her lap. A small table lamp lit her work. Her boobs hung to her belly, hunched over the drawing and her hands moved rhythmically over the page. From his horizontal posture Ray calmly watched her cute little affectations, like the way she compulsively looped stray hair over her right ear, but never the left.

"You must have a book-full by now." said Ray. He could see her grin without breaking her focus.

"You are my favorite subject," she answered.

Straightened to take make an appraisal of her sketch, Brooke gazed at it for a moment and found it satisfactory. She flipped the book closed and set it on the lamp table along with her pencil and stomp. Ray watched her stand and peer out the window for a few moments; and wished he had artistic talent as well. He would have sketched Brooke's body there and now, lit by the gauzy morning light. It was a vision he wanted to remember.

Brooke sat on the edge of the bed aside Ray's thigh and ran her hand gently over his skin. "I love this thick muscle over your hip," she said. Ray remained quiet. "I love the way your ass dimples on the sides." she added. Ray felt her hand drift down over his stomach and pick up his cock. She said nothing more, but Ray imagined she was recalling last night as she squeezed and pulled the skin of his shaft outward and then in.

"It would be a good morning for a sleep-in," suggested Ray.

"Can't." replied Brooke. "Julia and I are setting up the second bedroom for a webcam show," she explained as the pace of her pulling quickened just a hair.

It was the first Ray heard of it. "Let me know if I can help." he offered.

"Mmmm." said Brooke as she held Ray's thickened penis to her mouth, wrapped her lips around the head and tickled the tip with her tongue.

Brooke moved the light stand so it wouldn't be visible to the camera, and pushed the bed to square it up in the frame. She asked, "What do you think, Jules?"

Julia was watched Brooke arrange the set through her laptop, and replied, "I think it looks great. Are you concerned the Christmas lights in the back will distract from the action in the front?"

Brooke looked over Julia's shoulder thoughtfully and said, "No... no, I don't think so. We need to keep the scene colorful and entertaining."

As Brooke settled into the director's chair by the new computer setup in the corner, Julia bounced on the bed and began a overly dramatic strip show. "Oh, yes, yes, Mr. Hornyman75. For only 50 coins more, I will show you my pussy," she said as she peeled her shorts down to expose just a smidgen of pubic hair.

Brooke giggled from the corner and called out, "Oh, but I was hoping I could get it for free. I don't think I can afford you!"

There was a knock at the door and Ray opened it a crack to announce, "Girls, you have a visitor." He opened the door wide and ushered in a striking dark-skinned woman. He followed after her with a huge open box of dildos and assorted rubber toys in his arms.

"Destiny!" exclaimed Brooke as she wrapped her arms in a bear hug around the new girl. "Hey, girlfriend!" greeted Julia cheerfully.

"Ray, this is our friend, Destiny." said Brooke. "She's here to help us with our cam show."

Ray set down the box on the bed, turned and held out his hand. Destiny took his hand, smiled demurely and shook it. "Bonjou," she said with a half-curtsie. Ray appraised her as a little shy, but her black eyes sparkled mischievously. "Ou se yon nonm sexy. Mwen espere fuck ou kèk jou." she added.

Ray wrinkled his brow and looked at Brooke and Julia for help, but they were just shrugging. Destiny laughed and said, "It means, I am so pleased to finally meet you, in Creole."

"Ah," said Ray, beaming. "So nice to meet you too!" He turned to the other girls and said, "Well, I'll let you do, er, whatever it is you are doing..." He looked back at Destiny, and said, "Well... Adios!"

The girl was staring at him with haunted eyes embedded in her obsidian face, glinting in the stark light of Brooke's spots. Her red lips parted, and she licked the edge of dazzling white teeth with a bright pink tongue before she replied, "Orevwa, lover nan lavni."

As Ray closed the door, he was left with a prickly feeling about the shy girl, Destiny. Something unsettling. Something provocative.

Ray dropped Julia off at the El Proscrito's Club House, and drove his green Duster to the far side of the parking lot. The line a the door was twenty deep, but Ray walked casually past them and greeted bouncer with, "Hey Jack, how's the leg?"

The big biker grasped Ray's hand and pulled him in for a half-hug. Ray had saved his life once after an accident in Montana. He un-clipped the velvet rope and held the line back for him to pass. Ray walked right in.

Ray heard shouting from the wait line and glanced back. Some guy with a camouflage ball cap and sparse beard was upset that Ray had jumped ahead. Jack crossed his arms and stared him down.

Wading through plush chairs and semi-nude women, Ray made his way to the bar- where the club had reserved stool for him. As he approached the bar he saw Father Muttathupadathu from the neighborhood. The young priest was poorly disguised in a black t-shirt and a leather vest.

"Pratush!" shouted Ray over the loud music.

"Hey, look what they gave me, Ray!" the young priest said excitedly. He turned around to show Ray the back of his vest. It had El Proscrito's colors, a big rocker patch that said 'Provisional' and his club name, 'Bad Mutta.'

He hitched up his pants and beamed as he turned around and said, "No body is messing with the Bad Mutta," in his peculiar Indian accent.

Ray covered his smile and said, "Why, that's tremendous , Pratush! You blend right in!" He leaned leaned over and said, "A word of advice though; The fake mustache isn't fooling anyone- least of all, your parishioners."

Pratush nodded and glanced around furtively, but he suddenly perked up and asked, "Did you bring Crystal in tonight?" Ray grinned, nodded and watched the young man wriggle through the crowd to find a center-stage seat.

The poor guy still only knew Julia by her stage name. Perhaps it was for the best.

Ray was settling into his reserved stool when the music stopped and the announcer said, "It's Crystal Power time!" Loud dance mix music commenced, and he shouted, "Put your hands together for Crystal, Amber and Opal!"

Three women danced onto the stage, led by Julia. They had identical, space-age outfits. By the second song, the girls had peeled off their space uniforms and were were now topless, swinging around floor-to-ceiling poles.

The crowd was animated and cheering. Dollar bills were showering the stage. Julia's beauty, athleticism and grace were undeniable, but Ray felt something more throbbing inside him than just sexual energy. He was... proud of her.

Suddenly there was a shout from the apex of the stage. That belligerent mutt he had seen in the wait line outside grabbed Pratush out of his chair and shoved him to the floor. The other customers scattered and the girls' performance stuttered to a stop.

Ray bolted from the bar to help his friend. He pulled camo-man around and clocked him in the face. The man stumbled back and turned back to face Ray with fists up. When he saw who he was fighting, his face turned fire engine red. "You!" he yelled.

Three real El Proscritos appeared like wraiths at center stage. Moments later they had secured the violent man and were stiff-walking him out the front door.

Ray helped Father Mutta off the floor. His face was bruised and he looked shaken, but he shook off Ray when he saw someone snatching dollar bills off the stage. The priest shouted, "Get your hands off those, you mother fucker you!" and dove back into the crowd.

After Julia's set, the action cooled and the crowd thinned. Ray and Julia left a little early, because the girl was exhausted. As they walked together to his car, Ray said, "Well, that was eventful."

Julia hugged Ray and said, "Yeah. That's why I kinda don't want to do this any more. The webcam thing is so much safer, I think. "

They climbed into Ray's vintage Duster and rumbled away, headed for home.

A dented Ford F150 pulled out and followed. The driver had a camouflage covered ball cap.

"Oh! You're still here?" said Ray, surprised.

Destiny stood at the stove shoveling pancakes out of an iron skillet. She turned to him and smiled. "Yes," she said. "Brooke and Julia, suggested I spend the night. I slept on the couch." The girl pointed her spatula at a chair and said, "Set yourself down, and eat."

Still groggy from the night before, Ray couldn't think of any reason to say no. He sat a the table and Destiny put a plate with five neatly arranged flapjacks. Before Ray could ask, she set maple syrup, orange juice and a steaming mug of black coffee down in an arc around his plate.

Ray smiled. Destiny was impressing him and way ahead in every respect. So, he dug into the pancakes and watched her work.

The girl was wearing a white tank top and no bra. As she cleaned up around the stove, her tits swayed back and forth dragging thick nipples under the fabric with them. She wore powder blue athletic shorts that were too small, too short, and... too too lovely.

When everything was tidy, she joined him at the table with a cup of her own. She took a sip and closed her eyes.

Ray broke the silence with, "So, where are the girls?"

Destiny opened her eyes, smiled and replied, "Oh, Brooke had an appointment downtown and she dropped Julia at the tattoo shop."

Ray nodded and said, "Is there any place that you need to be today?" hoping that didn't sound like a kiss-off.

Destiny shook her head and looked at him straight-on and said, "Ray, the girls have asked me to consider staying." Ray's fork froze halfway between is plate and his mouth. The girl continued, "I mean, of course, if you are OK with that."

Ray stared ahead, chewed slowly and thought. He loved two women. They had invited a third to live with them. They had only one functional bedroom. Where would they sleep? Where would HE sleep?

Destiny watched Ray for a few seconds, perhaps reading his thoughts, then hauled herself out of her seat. She inserted her leg between his stomach and the table, forcing Ray to scoot his chair back. As he did so, she neatly slid her body into the gap and sat on his lap facing him. She kissed his forehead and looked down at him with eyes like black marbles. "Ray," she said, "Your bed is king-sized. There is room for us all. If you'll have me, I will share your bed."

Ray's stomach lurched and his heart raced. He stammered as he said, "Yes. Yes, I guess that could work."

Suddenly, Destiny turned sharply to her left and shouted in Creole, "Kite nou kounye a! Ban nou vi prive!"

Ray turned and saw a wisp of gray mist.

Destiny turned back to Ray and asked, "Do the other girls see them?"

Ray shook his head and said, "Only me."

The girl looked to the corner again and said enigmatically, "They are good souls." She added, "As are you."

She suddenly looked hungrily into Ray's eyes, cradled his head in her hands and kissed him full on the lips.

The package was two foot by three and wrapped in brown paper. Brooke carried it by the sisal twine that bound it. Her appointment with the gallery owner was at 9:00, and she had arrived with five minutes to spare.

Max Kunsthandler operated the city's edgiest gallery and had a reputation for launching young artists to prominence. Brooke thought her work might be marketable, so she took a chance and called.

The man floated into the lobby. He was dressed in a dark velour jacket over a patterned silk shirt buttoned at the neck. His gray slacks narrowed to the ankles and terminated above two toned buck shoes. "Hello, my dear. So nice to meet you. Please join me in the parlor, won't you." flowed out of his mouth in a stream and he held out his hand indifferently to be shaken. Brooke shook it weakly.

The 'parlor' was a conference room with a massive oak and epoxy table. When Brooke entered the room, Max had gone to the far side and held his hand out to indicate a space on the table for her to place her work. "Let's see what you've brought me, dear," said Max.

Brooke set her art bag on a chair and her package on the table. As she unwrapped, she explained her concept. " I've heard tattooists call their customer's 'canvases.' So, I thought, what better way to display artwork except on real human skin?"

Max looked startled for a moment, thinking he might be witness to something grisly.

Brooke was tearing away the paper when she caught his look. "Oh no!" she said sheepishly. "It's nothing like that. It's just a photograph printed on canvas. I hired a guy to make me a prototype and frame it. So... here it is." she said as she pulled away the remaining paper.

Max leaned over to view the large image of Julia's back tattooed with the complex tree of life drawing from Brooke. The photo was dramatically lit and artfully cropped.

"You see, Max, the artwork is displayed on human canvas, printed on real canvas..." explained Brooke, but her words trailed off as she watched Max's expectant visage fade to apathy.

Max looked dismissive when he said, "Dear girl, the design of the tattoo is quite good, but photos of naked women are just so common on the Internet. I don't think this will appeal to my clientele, at all!" He saw Brooke's disappointment and offered, "Did you bring anything else to show me?"

Brooke dug into her bag and produced her sketchbook. She held it out and said, "Just this."

Max flipped through the pages, appreciatively. "These are...moving, even spiritual," he said.

He paused suddenly and asked, "Is it really that big?"

Wayne Pervis Dettweiler watched the house from his truck with binoculars. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. That stiff snob at the strip club had THREE bitches. And, one of them was black! That just wasn't right. Not right at all.

He took a slug of Mad Dog and his face burned, recalling being humiliated by that old fucker at the strip club. He hated the smug look on his face when the bouncer let him in ahead of the line. He hated being judged inferior by people like him. Now, he was banned from the club- for life!

"Retro-bution is a bitch!" he said aloud with venom. He patted the handgun laying on the bench seat to his side.

Inside the house, Destiny calmly watched Wayne Pervis from the dimly lit living room. "Yes, that one has a dark heart," she muttered as she massaged the amulet around her neck.

A cool breeze wafted through the room and Destiny's eyes rolled back in her head. Her body quivered. When it passed, her face was painted with grim resolve.

"Agreed." she said as she stooped to light a red votive candle on the coffee table among the ceremonial stones and animal bones on the plate she had placed there.

She turned to the darkest corner, nodded respectfully and left the room.

Ray was banished to the lower level while the cam show was in progress, but the girls had thoughtfully provided a spare laptop for him to watch. He sat at the dining room table with a bowl of popcorn and a bottle of scotch. The wind outside howled and rain splattered the storm windows, but he was warm and cozy with his fireplace screensaver.

"OK, lets see what you girls are up to" he said to himself as he set his glass down and pressed the space bar.

He was greeted with the ching, chinging of coins dropping like slot machines in a Vegas casino. Julia was licking Destiny's clit enthusiastically. The upper branches of her tree of life back piece were rippling and her ass was jiggling a pink rubber thing around, apparently in time to the coins being dropped.

Destiny had on a feathered mask and Ray could see her stomach muscles reflexively contract and relax as Julia hit her sweet spots. She rolled forward and smacked Julia's ass with a long handled riding crop. There was a patch of skin on the girl's butt that was turning pink.