Chapter 1

Surprisingly, being relatively early, Nick decided to forgo the Cleopatra tale for a time, ending the narrative at the end of his and Salomé's Southern Africa experience. I think it had to do with Naomi as much as anything. Not so much to quicken Helena and my entrance into her and Natasha's bed, which she seemed to need to happen to salve some sort of depression for Tash and perhaps for herself as well, though that may have been part of it. But Naomi had suffered Simon's intrusion, his scraping of her brain, as seriously as she ever had during that blond asshole's attempt at capturing me and doing something unpleasant to me earlier in the Jewesses' chateau, and since her part in the Tales took quite a bit of energy, I think he felt she needed a break. An entire weekend in fact.

As angels and mortals collected themselves in the rich old suite in Paris after Nick's announcement, another surprise happened. "Let's grab Tash and go dancing," Naomi grinned. "You want to call your friends?" she asked me.

"I was about to call you," said Bob when I contacted him. "I'm heading to Amsterdam this evening with Michiko. She's starting her shifts in the morning, so we want some last time together. Christa will be arriving in the morning, so Mich hopes she will join us for a quick send off. Then, since Christa plans to head to Paris, Mich thinks she'll be cool with us using her flat."

"So JB and Sheila plan to go with you?" I asked.

"Not right away."

"So you two can have some time together?"

"That and Sheila's involved in Lindy's dances. She's really excited about that. She needs to find out from Lindy what kind of rehearsal will be planned next week. I guess this weekend Lindy plans on really working on the dancing, so maybe that means there might be less time to work on them during the week next week."

"But then you'll be alone in Amsterdam this weekend," I noted. "Why don't you come with Christa when she flies here? Then you and JB and Sheila can hop back there after the weekend. I know I haven't exactly been around you enough, but I will be much more available this weekend. I'll accompany you to the airport to take care of the tickets."

"That's okay. The flights are cheap and we're saving tons since we won't be paying for staying anywhere for a while. Ironically in one of the most expensive hotels in Paris. And Michiko says Christa's apartment is quite comfortable, and not far from public transportation."

"So you'll come back with Christa?"

"Sure."

"Cool."

"We need to get going."

"Take the limo."

"What about you?"

I looked at the scene in the suite. It seemed like the angels all wanted to go dancing with us. I knew a favorite disco resided just a few blocks away, and though the night was warm, it wasn't stifling. I don't think anyone would object to walking, especially through Paris streets at night. "Not a problem," I told my best friend.

We probably could have taken the limo, or two since Nick could make another easily available. Our numbers would have overfilled one. It took time for the ladies to get ready, to put on their sexiest garb and fix their faces to perfection. At least an hour and a half passed before everyone had gotten ready. The limo would have been back from Orly long before.

JB joined Nick and I in Nick's suite, conversing to pass the time. With Nick there, I ended up learning a lot more about my friend than I ever had. Though Nick allowed for tangents off of JB's words to bring himself into the conversation, with his endless life, he had an endless amount of tangents available, he inevitably led conversation back to JB. By the time the ladies had gotten ready, I felt closer to my big boned friend than I ever had.

The walk amused me. The parade of absolutely gorgeous women dressed for maximum sexiness turned everyone's heads when we passed. It surprised me no accidents happened. There couldn't have been a greater distraction. I wondered what these passers-by might have thought of me, a single male amongst all those foxes. Nick joined us, as did Vance and his gentleman friend, a rather handsome if short man of Vietnamese heritage who revealed nothing of his sexual preference. All masculine and not the least bit fey. But they tended to trail behind the rest of us, chatting in French since Vance had some fluency in the language. JB and Sheila seemed to keep a little distance as well.

Angelique and Consuela would meet us at the Disco, heading to the Jewesses' chateau to change. Eva had her sexy costume in Helena's and my suite. They seemed more joined together than ever, even walking together, hand in hand, to the disco. Though my hand hadn't been taken, both Naomi and Tash remained close to me, surrounding me, as we walked.

The two half-sister Helen clones must not have needed as much time for preparation, though both, especially Consuela, looked amazing. They met us when we entered, with Angelique making a beeline to Lindy immediately. I noticed behind them, with a far enough distance to seem discreet, a Chinese woman whose presence disturbed me. "I'll be right back," I promised Naomi, my voice loud enough to be heard over the thumping dance music. "I need to talk to Nick."

I told him where I had seen the Chinese woman. "She's in a tight red spangly dress and looks, of course, incredible," I said.

"Okay," said Nick, not looking at the woman. I threatened to point, but he pulled my arm down. "I can see her peripherally."

"You didn't see the images in my head when I encountered her at the chateau?" I asked.

"No. There's like a protective haze around them in your memory, something Simon developed eons ago. I have encountered Dagmar before of course, and a couple other of his blonde angels besides Eva."

"But he knows all your angels."

"I have not so many as he, and I'm far less interested in intrigue."

"And you had Helen."

"True," he grinned. He lost it when he added, "Not until Naomi did he have such an advantage, and you've seen how heavy handed he is with her. Chinese. Interesting."

I dared to glance once again at the woman, and noticed Betty and Salomé near her, probably unseen by her as they approached from the back. "Can you see any of the others?" Nick asked. "Please be sure."

I took my time threading through the crowd. Being a Friday night, the place was fairly packed. As an excuse, I bought Nick and myself drinks, him a beer and me a vodka and cranberry juice. When I handed the bottle off, I told him, "No."

"Interesting," he said again, adding, "Excuse me," and began heading towards the woman, though somewhat indirectly. I tried keeping things as peripheral as possible as well. She must have recognized me, but perhaps figured, as my seeing her had been barely a glance, and having heard of this face shading ability of Simon's, that she hadn't been recognized. Far better than I, Nick had kept her in his peripheral vision throughout our exchange.

Being discreet soon became unnecessary. A scuffle occurred, though I doubt anyone noticed. The Chinese woman began lifting her left arm just as Nick began passing her. His oldest angels immediately took hold of her. I could see the pain in her face and her left hand clutch her right which actually looked broken. Something glinted in Salomé's hand from a passing ray of light reflected off the mirrored facet of a disco ball. Some sort of blade. "Fuck," I murmured.

Curiosity pulled me closer, a pull greater than fear. Salomé and Betty held the woman as Nick stood over her. "I never learned Mandarin," he told her in the midst of a flood of invective Chinese curses I presumed. "Your master always made that unnecessary."

"I have no master," she responded in perfect Oxford English.

"You have two. Which one attempted to decapitate me?"

"You saw me?" she said to me, glaring. "How could you notice me?"

"My friend has unusual abilities Simon knows nothing about," Nick explained. "Even I keep discovering them. How is Master Xo (sounding like Joe)?"

"Why not ask Chanda?" the woman smirked.

Nick chuckled. "I figured she had some of Xo in her, but never worried. Should I?"

"No," the woman shook her head as it hung submissively from her lovely, lean neck.

"Not even if he takes over in our place?"

She went sort of blank, but with a soft smile. "You and Simon amuse him," she finally answered a moment later.

"As we should," Nick chuckled. "Simon figured I'd never recognize you as one of his. But then again, he could have attempted this before Joseph's encounter with you."

"I ... He felt I needed to show loyalty."

"And also to demonstrate more of Joseph's ability. Well, both things got proven, didn't they? Simon wins again. And nothing to lose. He might have missed beheading me, but still gets something."

"I'm not in danger am I?" I gulped. "I'm not really all that dangerous."

"No son, you're not. Just intriguing, literally. What is your name, my beautiful angel?"

She chuckled. "I may be the others', but I'm not yours at least. Gia," she attempted lifting her hand, still restrained by Betty. I noticed her right hand completely cured.

"Let her go, my angels," Nick said.

"Shouldn't I frisk her?" asked Salomé.

"I'm surprised she could have hidden the one blade."

"It is extremely thin," said Salomé, revealing the blade with a very thin handle, both it and the blade matching Gia's dress color, though the blade had a highly polished surface causing the gleam. "Some sort of high tech ceramic."

"Simon loves his research," Nick chuckled, watching Salomé pat down the woman. "Let her go," he told his angels. "She no longer has the luxury of surprise." They obeyed and Gia and Nick finally shook hands. "I prefer the European style greeting, don't you," he said and they exchanged cheek kisses. "You really are a remarkable looking woman," he said sotto voce, though, like all the conversations we exchanged, I had no problem hearing him. "I don't mean to be rude, just curious, but how old are you?"

"A couple millennia."

"About Chanda's age. Why am I not surprised?"

"What are you doing?" Naomi asked me, arriving out of nowhere. "Tash wants to dance."

"Sorry," I said.

"This is one of Simon's," Nick told his Jewish angel.

"Really," said Naomi. "I would never have guessed."

"Same goes for you," Gia replied. "You must be Naomi."

"I guess I must," Naomi scowled. "Come on, stud, you have two horny girls to entertain."

"Stud?" murmured Gia just loud enough to be heard and saw Nick shrug. I could swear I could feel the regal Chinese beauty staring at my backside.

As we passed through the disco, I saw my wife dancing with Eva, both looking erotically hot. Some arrogant fellow, with the nerve to attempt connection with either one of them or both, got teased by my two lovely lovers almost cruelly, especially Eva. Maybe not cruelly in that he did get his moment with women even his fantasies could not have imagined. And other lucky men, at least in their moment of dancing, had Consuela to dance with (maybe one of those might get even luckier with the slutty Spanish beauty) and the duos of Chanda and Alexandra and the Irish twins (who, amusingly, found a couple of identical twins and seemed to be enjoying them, and the male twins might also get extra lucky). Rosa danced with a man looking to be of similar heritage (perhaps another conquest).

The threesome of Lindy, Angelique and Miwa looked impenetrable. The two professional dancers seemed to be creating choreography on the spot, profoundly graceful as they moved around Angelique, seducing her and each other as if playing out their actual relationship.

Naomi and I climbed the steps to the VIP area that looked over the dance floor. She paused to chat with our driver/bodyguard, busy chatting up a French beauty. He nodded and convinced the woman to join him at the large round table the angels had commandeered. Drinks lined it, untouched and sweating. I put mine down and grabbed Tash's hand.

"About time you got here," she smirked.

"I love you too," I responded, surprising the spit out of her.

We had an amazing time dancing. As expected, Tash danced coolly, so I did too. But we ended up dancing coolly very close together. She could feel my interest in her, and I could feel her heat, and see it in the press of her nipples against her thin sheaf of a dress, black of course. Like with Lindy and company, our threesome, Naomi joining us almost right away, made no room for invasion of any other male. And like Angelique, Tash became the center of attention.

Between dances, rehydrating to the point of drunkenness (except for Tash, recently aware and surprisingly accepting, even happy, of her pregnancy, drinking Perrier mostly, as did my wife, Eva, and the Helen clones) we remained intimate, though at times Tash chatted with Vance.

During one of those moments, I asked Naomi if she knew anything about Xo.

"Another Joe," she responded, amused.

"Another Nick and Simon, actually," I said. "He's Chinese."

"Nick's pretty evasive about anyone like him," said Naomi, "but I believe he's mentioned another wanderer once or twice. I think he's even older. And a fourth one existed as well, African, probably about the same age as this Chinese one. He thinks he might have perished somehow. But even Nick's not sure. I think it's more interpretation from myths he encountered as an African himself."

"Like Kwicknick?"

Naomi shrugged. "Something like that."

"He never met any angels like you in Africa?"

"He never said. Neither has Salomé. Perhaps they became mortal or something, or killed themselves out of remorse or lack of purpose or something."

"What would happen with you?" I asked.

"If Simon died I'd dance on his fucking grave. With Nick," she shivered, "I don't know. It would be devastating. He's really the most important person in my life, bar none. I mean Helena has you, and the twins have each other, and Chanda and Alexandra as well, but for me and Betty and Salomé..."

"What about Rosa and Miwa?"

"Rosa's the most independent of all of us. Betty actually might handle it better, because she's about the same as Rosa that way. Miwa? I don't know. I guess I don't want to think about it."

"Why?"

"I mean, she's the most resourceful of us. She's Cat, the cat burglar. But she's also the most sensitive."

"More sensitive than you?"

"Me sensitive?" she snorts. "If I had her sensitivity, I wouldn't be here. No, I've had to have the toughest skin of any of us. Simon forced it on me, but I got to be a tough bitch early on, tough and manipulative, a real Jewish Princess. Helena's sensitive, but she's actually a distant second compared to Miwa. Just consider our art. Mine is almost purely manipulative, getting visceral reactions. Helena's poetry has a darkness to it, a depth, and yet there's a style she uses, gothic mystery I guess you'd call it, that keeps it layers away from truly exposing her soul to the world. But with Miwa..."

I nodded. "It's as if she's completely naked when she dances. Vulnerable."

"It's what keeps you riveted. You could see it with Barnaby with the pas de deux. It's what Barnaby saw in her and became infatuated with her. And she knows to tone it down when in a group or especially with Sam, who can hold you with her beauty and her movement..."

"But not her soul," I nodded.

"She'll get better because Miwa will teach her."

"She's her newest genius?"

"Sort of. She has to tread lightly."

"Jealousy."

"Mmm. And remember she has to be seen by Sam the way Barnaby sees her."

"You mean old."

"But very well preserved."

We laughed.

"But Sam has no problem with Barnaby being old," I pointed out.

"That's why Miwa must tread softly. She might be able to seduce the girl and maybe have a mènage á trois relationship, but then again it might be a pure mentor relationship without our usual sexual involvement. It may seem mercenary or whorish, but our use of sex actually intensifies our work as muses. The intimacy opens our geniuses up, and they benefit greatly. Being a genius is almost by definition a lonely existence, which makes our intimacies so significant and so rewarding. With Sam as a dancer and probably as a future choreographer, it would be the difference between immense talent and brilliance."

"Like with Lindy."

"Even more so, because Lindy only needed the barest of shoves to be brilliant. She already was, but now she's luminous. And having Angelique and Angelique having her, they have become each other's muses, which I find really cool."

"Even if Angelique's Simon's minion."

"Fuck that. Simon's an asshole. Only assholes become devoted to that asshole no matter how direct the lineage. No, if Angelique's devoted to anyone, it's Helen, and you know how complicated that bitch's relationship is with Simon and with Nick. Consuela's the same."

"But what about how Consuela lured me to Simon in the chateau?"

"With a bit of that will of his, Simon can be quite convincing. But even then, she could have seduced you into eating or drinking whatever Simon had concocted to put you out. Or, when he took over the tour, she could have looked a lot happier about it rather than weirdly submissive. No, Simon's never been as convincing as he thinks he is. Even with his angels."

"Eva."

"Exactly. And the difference between Simon and Nick..."

"Rapist as opposed to seducer."

"That's perfect, Joe," she laughed with a tinge of bitterness. "But it's really telling. It's like they approach the same problem from opposite sides. Nick prefers not to dominate his minions and angels, suggesting and requesting rather than demanding. Simon dominates. But the truth of how we and the minions respond ends up somewhere in the middle, and much more relative than Simon would want. Minions respond to orders, but only so far. If they're agreeable, no problem. Thus Simon and assholes. If they're ambivalent, our two wanderers would more than likely win them over. But if anything in their mind significantly opposes the command, they ain't going to obey. And, except for a bit of a struggle with their conscious or whatever, it won't be a big deal."

"Unlike with you and Simon."

"I don't know if Simon even realizes what he does to me. Of course, being an asshole, he'd probably figure I deserve it. He literally delves into my mind, scratching its surface to see what's within. He's not the least bit subtle. Maybe he sees my pain, and maybe that confuses him. I mean he's had Helen for Millennia even though I don't think she's ever really been exclusively his angel. I mean he can read her, and they communicate, but I bet it's murkier than with his other angels. She's more like a really well developed minion."

"You think it's two different things, the telepathy between minions and between angels?"

"Definitely."

"But if Simon reaches into Helen's brain just like he reaches into yours, wouldn't she experience the same thing? It's the same kind of relationship, isn't it? Except for the fact that you fight it and Helen embraces it. You're probably right about the two types of telepathy, but I don't think it fits with you and her. You are angels. That's the difference. You have completely different minds. You are immortal. In just that fact, you are like Simon and Nick and unlike me and the rest of the mortal world. No Naomi, just like Nick suggested to Gia, both you and Helen have two masters. It's who you've chosen that's significant. And the way these masters deal with you reveals them as well. In Helen's case, and in a way it caused her choice as much as anything, Nick let her choose Simon. I think if he hadn't, he might have been as ruthless as that asshole has been with you. He too would have torn into her brain, demanding obedience. She'd probably have ended up switching back to Nick because of it, because she wanted him arrogant and demanding instead of soft. I bet even with Simon doing to her what he does to you, she still would have chosen Nick. He was her first love after all. They'd probably still be lovers. And knowing Helen, she might have encouraged Nick to get rid of Simon just to stop those attacks. Instead Nick used her, just as this Xo fellow uses Gia and Chanda, as reluctant, or even more significantly, unknowing spies. I don't know if Xo showed his hand, that he could subtly watch his angel while she became mistress of another traveler, and Nick used it to observe Helen and her place as Simon's angel, or Nick's seductive, caring nature kept his presence in her mind too gentle to be detected, but I suspect the latter. I suspect Simon has no clue about being subtle with an antagonist since Helen hadn't been except when she was young..."

"You're right! I remember Helen saying she felt that torturous presence early on and that ended immediately upon her acceptance of the asshole. He probably thinks the only way he can gain information or try to be persuasive to an angel not in his camp is to scrape at her brain. Until now."

"You mean Las Vegas?"

"No. Nick could have read the situation from us."

"But Nick knew before the attack."

"True, but Simon's dense enough not to get the timing."

"But he seemed to blank out Helen's mind somehow before the attack at the Jewesses'."

"Maybe he wanted to play it safe. Maybe he had an inkling."

"Or maybe he finally figured it out."

"He would only be sure through me, from my awareness of Helen as spy, something I wasn't even aware of until then. I hate that, but what can I do? He fucked with my mind maybe to find out if Nick knew of this newest attack."

"Or he thought you might be the spy."

"Possibly. I guess he doesn't know I would never enter that cruel brain. It actually worked against him. Nick had been cautious of you guys in the enemy's camp, and anything smelling of danger set off his alarm, which both my suffering and Helen's blank mind managed to do. But whatever inkling Simon may have had, he's certain now."

"Why's that?"

"Gia. Nick asked her about two masters, right? You said Chanda's like her. I bet it came into conversation that Xo knows what's happening with those two angels."

"I believe Nick might have mentioned it, or at least suggested it."

"And I bet Chanda never realized her position as spy."

"NIck and Chanda being clueless of Xo's presence, and Gia outing her so to speak, might have suggested the whole spy thing."

"I'm glad," Naomi sighed.

"Why's that?"

"Because hopefully Simon can satisfy his curiosity about Nick's doings without scratching the shit out of my brain. If he doesn't stop, I'm going to cut that fucker's head off if it's the last thing I do. He has no more excuse for putting me through hell."

"I'll help if I can, only I'm just a mere mortal."

"You're more than that. You're our stud. Grab Tash. Let's dance."

And dance we did, dancing through last call and into a gently forced departure. We performed a vertical mockup of a horizontal, bed held dance albeit with clothes on and on hard wood. Naomi became especially sexual in her rubbing against me and their locations: crotch against crotch and crotch against ass. And Tash picked up the horny vibe quickly, making it almost a contest in who could tease me best.

We wanted privacy in the worst way, and it became available. Nick's limo awaited us. Not completely private, as another extremely horny trio ended up sharing the ride. We didn't mind the voyeurs, as they were all familiar with our bodies in the most lustful of situations. As four frantic hands removed my rigid cock from its almost painful hiding place, pulling pants and underwear to my thighs to allow its release, Angelique went through a similar situation, her panties stripped completely off. Tash climbed on me, her panties tossed aside, and Naomi guided me into the needy hole of the dark haired and pale skinned thin Goth while spreading my thighs to make room for her face, spreading Tash's thighs even wider. My cock soon found itself being sunk inside warm, damp tightness. Tash clung to me, her torso pressing against mine, opening her ass up to the lips and tongue of Naomi swiping across my cock, before and after her tongue plunged fully inside my asshole, and Tash's asshole, and scraping against her perineum and cock holding pussy lips.

Chapter 2 »