After a couple of light knocks, he opened the door with a “Yup?”
White sweats hugged his thick thighs and a sports jacket fit his upper body perfectly, even though it was over a bare torso.
“What the hell is wrong with gargoyles?” I asked, taking a step back.
He looked down at himself. “Oh, I was just trying on the jacket Mr. Tom ordered for me. What do you think?”
“Looks good. Get dressed; let’s go to the bar. Bring the jacket.”
“Your wish is my command, milady.” He left the door open as he hurried to change, and I turned around, just in case I got another show I did not want.
“What’s the occasion?” Ulric popped back out and closed the door behind him, wearing jeans and a white shirt under the jacket.
“I need to speak with Niamh.”
He noticed the phone in my hand, then shrugged and fell in step with me. “Cool. This place gets pretty boring after we finish practicing. We should play some board games or something.”
“We need to grab another person, probably. Not Mr. Tom. I don’t want him hearing…certain things.”
“I’m sensing Damarion is a no-go, so what about Jasper?” Ulric asked, pausing in the hallway.
“Who? Oh, the deep gray one with the brown lines? I don’t think I’ve ever actually spoken to him.”
“He’s not much of a talker. Damn fine guy, but he can be creepy. How about Cedric? You remember him—you got his friend killed?” He paused with his hand on his chest. “Too soon?”
Laughter burst out of me, which only made me feel guiltier, but not guilty enough to wipe away my smile. “Cedric is good. Let’s get Cedric.”
“Least you can do, right? After making him a solo unit?”
“Oh my God, you have to stop. I feel really bad about that.”
I knocked quietly on his door, only two doors down from Damarion.
“In all seriousness, don’t feel bad—”
I put my finger to my mouth to quiet him.
“Cedric and that other guy weren’t friends any more than I’m friends with the guys I showed up with,” he said in a softer voice. “If you kill them off, I’ll give you a cookie. I could use a little less competition. Why are we whispering?”
“I want to let Damarion get his beauty rest.”
Cedric opened the door, also wearing a sports jacket over a bare torso and the house sweats. His lifted his eyebrows when he saw me.
“Get dressed,” I whispered. “We’re going out.”
“Good.” Cedric turned back into the room, and I swiveled around, still worried about getting another peep show.
“I know, right? It’s boring here,” Ulric said.
“If you’re so bored, why don’t you go out? You all are clearly horny as hell. Go pick up a girl at the bar.”
“Well, yeah, but you only go occasionally, and we’re supposed to stay with you, so…”
“We need to create a schedule,” Cedric said as he came back out. “Picking up a girl sounds good. I’d hoped for some time with the queen, but it seems she has made her choice.”
“Nope, I haven’t made my choice, but correct, I’m not an option. Grab someone at the bar. That’s your best bet, definitely—damn it.”
Mr. Tom waited downstairs, already holding out my handbag, and his gaze flicked from Ulric to Cedric. “Ah. I was right, then, and you’re trading up? Yes, probably wise. Both of these men listen to you. They’ll make sure your pleasure is as great as theirs. Just make sure they give you time to enjoy yourself. Two at the same time might be a learning curve. You won’t want to constantly be fiddling with something when you’d rather focus on something else…”
“Oh my God, Mr. Tom, you have got to stop with all that.” I grabbed my handbag. “It isn’t right. We’re not that kind of friends!”
“Well…” He smiled at me, his face clearly not used to that formation. “I’m honored that you would think of me as a friend. Wait, miss, I’ll be coming—”
I shut the door after me, Ulric and Cedric already down the steps, Ulric wearing a smile.
“I would, though,” he said.
“What?” I said, distracted. We might need one more person, at least until we hooked up with Niamh and hopefully Austin. Only one mage had come for me yesterday, but there’d been a handful at the first encounter. I wasn’t sure I could handle the embarrassment of Mr. Tom right then, though. What if he kept on about…stuff.
“I would absolutely make sure your pleasure was as great as mine, and then some. Get a woman where she’s goin’…” Ulric waggled his eyebrows at me. “And she will want to stay for the next ride. Keep a woman happy, and she’ll keep you happy.”
“Yes,” Cedric said.
I couldn’t do much more than let out a breath like a leaking tire. Why did my life keep getting weirder?
Mr. Tom stepped out of the house wearing a sports coat like Ulric, a white T-shirt underneath it, also like Ulric, and a bright green ball cap, not like Ulric or anyone.