Chapter 5

Sometimes, the mood just isn’t there.

Trudi led the way to the bedroom. She didn’t seem to register that the room hadn’t been there before and was there now. Maybe Tanner added some effect that allowed her to accept the change without consciously responding? I didn’t know. I was nowhere near his level of experience. Which only added to the list of things that had doused my desire for sex. Between everything this morning, the spells, the anger, and learning about my mark, sex wasn’t exactly on my mind.

Trudi stopped long enough to kick off her boots and then crawled up onto the bed. Her short skirt would have shown off her panties - if she had been wearing any. I looked away, not from embarrassment, but my lack of desire made me feel like I was looking at something I shouldn’t see.

She spun around, bouncing on her bottom with a giggle. She looked at me, saw my face, and her giggle died.

I felt a surge of disappointment in myself. My problems were not her fault, and I shouldn’t ruin her mood with my stress and worries.

She studied me with a look of curiosity, reached out toward me, and said, “Come here. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

Her words nudged something deep within me. I had only thought of Trudi as a ‘bubble-head,’ but suddenly her energy changed. She settled into someone concerned for someone else and displayed a hidden intelligence which quickly deduced that I had issues which needed to be discussed. Before this, I wasn’t even sure I could go through with this spell with her, but now the possibility grew.

Sitting on the edge of the bed with one leg folded so I could look at her, I let out a long breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “I want to make it clear: you have done nothing wrong. You have been nothing but fun and cheerful, and I want to apologize for souring your mood.”

She shook her head, her hair bouncing back and forth like it did with her every move. “You haven’t ‘soured’ anything,” she said and moved to sit on her knees. “I know how people see me. Most of the time, it’s welcome and fun, but you need someone focused and less chaotic.” Then she crawled over, her breasts swaying freely between her arms. Then she flipped around and sat next to me, her hip pressed to mine. She bumped my shoulder with hers. “Now talk. What’s wrong?”

I smiled and shook my head. “I don’t know where to start.”

She smiled too, patted my leg, and said, “You need to relax so you can think clearly.” She nodded at the bed. “Come on. Lie down.”

I took a deep breath, let it out, kicked off my shoes, and scooted over to the center of the bed. With a gentle push on my shoulder from her, I lay back on the bed.

She smiled at me, and I wasn’t sure what to make of her. Most of our interactions had defined her as flighty and chaotic. Now she was down-to-earth and sympathetic. I wanted to ask about the change, but thought better of it.

Trudi crawled around me on the bed. She wasn’t trying to be sexy, just a practical set of movements, but something about the change in her behavior made those movements more than simply practical. Of course, it didn’t help that her top was so loose that her breasts wobbled around as she moved, or that her skirt rode up on her ass so high that it covered nothing.

The first thing she did was remove my socks. I thought it was an odd choice, but I said nothing. She also gave my feet a short, gentle massage. Her hands were small, but she was strong.

Next, she moved up and unbuttoned my shirt. I tried to unbutton the cuffs, but she lightly slapped my hands to make me stop. “You are supposed to relax. Let me do this,” she said and flashed a grin. Once she had the front unbuttoned, she took care of the cuffs too. I sat up, we removed the shirt, and she made me lie down again. Again, she ran her hands over my chest and abs in a light massage. It wasn’t like trying to knead my muscles so much as draw out energy. It felt good.

Finally, she went for my pants. Belt, button, zipper. I didn’t wear underwear. She pushed the flaps of my pants open, exposing me to the cool air, and smiled. “Is this for me?” she asked and ran the delicate tip of her finger along my length.

I smiled in return. “You’ve been an enormous help to me. I thought of returning the kindness.”

She gave me a coy smile and lay down alongside me, half covering me with her body. She sat up on one elbow, which put her face close to mine. “Tell me about this experiment,” she said in a soft, teasing voice.

Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around her back and held her to me. She was so very distracting, and I was the one mostly naked. Her face was close enough to mine that a strong breeze would press our lips together. All I could see were the flecks of gray in her blue eyes. The sides of our noses lightly rubbed together with our breathing. I was so taken in by her boldness that I softly said, “I’m supposed to transfer your bond with Angela to me.”

She studied my eyes. There was a light of excitement in her eyes. “I’ll be your Fonte?”

I nodded, rubbing my nose against hers.

“Is this,” and she reached between us to squeeze my shaft, “involved?” Her breath washed over my mouth. I could almost taste the spearmint gum she had been chewing earlier.

“I also have to sketch my mark on you,” I breathed.

There was a twitch in her smile, indicating she was curious. “Where?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, feeling suddenly disconnected from the intimacy we were sharing. “It may not matter, but my mark rests at the center of my chest.”