Playing Their Parts

“We do not,” Stone said with dignity. “But we do buy scent books, which have the scents of aroused females preserved within them.”

“Wow…” Cassie shook her head. “I knew you guys had much sharper senses than we humans but I had no idea scents could be so, uh, arousing for you.”

“They can be, though,” Stone growled softly. “When I am attuned to a female, I can pick out her scent, even in a crowd.” He looked at Cassie intently. “I could find you, for instance, with my eyes closed, Cassandra. No matter where we were.”

Cassie’s heart sped up and she felt her cheeks get hot.

“Even someplace really crowded?” she asked softly. “Like the Lady A concert we were supposed to go to before this case came up?”

Slowly, Stone nodded.

“Even there. Your scent is burned into my brain.”

Things were getting a little intense. Cassie attempted to get back to the subject at hand.

“The idea of, uh, smell-porn sounds really strange,” she said, trying to make her voice light. “But I guess it can’t be any stranger to me than our kind of porn is to you.”

“Human porn is disgusting for the most part.” Stone made a face. “At least if this is any indication.” He nodded at the laptop.

“It’s not all like this,” Cassie assured him. “There’s actually good porn out there—tasteful porn. Most of it’s made by women, for women. Of course…” She shrugged. “Porn is really subjective, it just depends on what turns you on.”

“Oh?” Stone looked at her with interest. “And what exactly turns you on, Cassandra? I mean, what do you consider to be ‘good’ porn?”

Cassie found herself squirming in her seat yet again. How had they started talking this way when they had so carefully avoided any topics of conversation that were even remotely sexual for the past two years?

“I, uh…” She cleared her throat. “Like I said, there’s porn made for women by women which centers more on the female’s pleasure.”

“Meaning there is tasting in it?” Stone sounded intensely interested.

Cassie nodded. “Well, yes. I guess so.”

Actually, that was her favorite thing to watch, when she did get in the mood for porn. There was a site online called SheComesFirst.com that almost exclusively showed clips of men going down on women.

But she wasn’t about to tell her partner that.

“This porn made especially for females sounds interesting,” Stone remarked. “I would like to view it sometime if you would show it to me.”

“Maybe later,” Cassie said. “Right now, we need to get back to the business at hand.” She pointed to the laptop.

“Fine, but I cannot watch any more of this,” Stone growled. “We have all the information we need on this witness—let’s go on to the next one.”

“Sure,” Cassie agreed readily. “Let’s skip to the next scene.”

But the next scene turned out to be one of The Beast tying a girl down to a four-poster bed. When her arms and legs were spread helplessly and there was no chance of escape, he had pulled out a long, silver knife.

Cassie felt Stone tense beside her and a low growl began to rise in his throat. Her own heart was drumming against her ribs.

Oh God, if he hurts her…I really don’t want to see him cut her!

But to her relief, The Beast hadn’t so much as scratched the girl. Instead, he proceeded to cut off her clothes—which were skimpy to begin with—and then fuck her within and inch of her life.

“Look at that—again he failed to prepare her!” Stone sounded disgusted, but no longer dangerously angry, which was good as far as Cassie was concerned.

“You mean he didn’t, er, ‘taste’ her?” she’d asked, casting a sidelong glance at her partner.

“Exactly. He should have tasted her and given her at least one orgasm with his tongue before he started shoving himself inside her.” Stone shook his head. “Even if we hadn’t seen that he has no Mating Fist, his sexual technique—or lack of it—would be enough to brand him as a fake.”

“Glad to know it,” Cassie had remarked, not sure what else to say. She was trying hard not to picture her partner going down again. So hard, in fact, that Stone’s next words had caught her by surprise.

“Actually, I think I can see some of the appeal in this scenario,” he had remarked.

“What?” Cassie had been surprised. “I thought all this ‘human’ porn left you cold?”

“I’m talking about the idea of tying your female down—as long as she wanted to be tied, of course.” Stone had sounded thoughtful. “I think I would enjoy tying her down and tasting her until she moaned for me and came on my tongue.”

“Geez, Stone.” Cassie had shifted in her seat again. “Tell me all your darkest fantasies, why don’t you?”

His eyes had suddenly gone half-lidded and he had murmured,

“Do you really want to know what I fantasize about, Cassandra?”