Chapter 15

Damien and Amos both found things to occupy their time, mostly in terms of Amos going over the details in a careful review of what information he gathered, especially in light of the bomb threat. He did his best to put anything romantic or sexual on the back burner for now, wanting to focus on work during his typical workday hours. He wasn’t honestly sure what to say or do about the bomb squad chief and his apparent interest in him. The guy was cute, not to mention brave and smart, but did they have a future? That was not something that Amos was ready to consider just yet, not with everything so up in the air. He wasn’t sure yet if the Klan had a hit out on him, a contract on his life. He’d better more than even money that they did, so he could only hope that they weren’t able to see it carried out.

Damien, meanwhile, had a different project, namely discovering the various properties of his new ring and what they might mean for both his career and his love life. What exactly did Frank Pezzo have in mind for him, if anything? What was this “Other” business, anyway? This was a significant change in his life, but he hadn’t taken the time to reflect on it the night before, in the heat of the passionate intimacy with all of his lovers.

Whoever Frank Pezzo was, he was closely connected to the family of his own mortal enemies, which was odd enough, but on top of that, he seemed to have his personal harem, though he seemed to also share it with his brother, Jim. Damien also had the start of a harem of his own, so he wondered what he could learn of harem management, if any, from this Frank guy. He also racked his brain as to how this “Other” really affected him. He knew one thing, though: the Other seemed to give him a libido on steroids. Was THAT how it was for Frank and Jim? Did this demonic force literally change any man who had it into a type of sex god?

Damien had to wonder if perhaps he was destined to this. Why else would everything have just fallen into place the moment that he stood up to Cassidy, anyway? This was one hell of a way for her to handle the sudden reversal of things in their household, from bossy and pushy to abjectly submissive and eager to share him in just a short space of time. What was really going on with her and the Lassiters, anyway? Was it in any way connected to the Harris-Forrester deal, or was that mere coincidence? A lot of strange circumstances seemed to be colliding at once, and rather than a simple mathematical formula that could logically explain things, this was much more like algebra, with tons of variables, square roots, prime numbers, and other complications. It was confusing as hell.

“You are, you know. Destined to this. About time that you figured it out,” a voice behind Damien told him, and he looked around to see a tall, nerdy redhead who was striking enough in her own way.

“And you are?” Damien asked her.

“Alice Wilkins, Esquire. Attorney-at-law. I was the probate lawyer for Adam Slater, your uncle. It took me some time to track you down, because his offspring were first priority, but, yes, you and Frank Pezzo are first cousins. He knows this now, but he wasn’t ready to divulge it to the Lassiters just yet. Now, however, it’s time for all involved to be aware of it. You see, your mother’s maiden name was Slater, wasn’t it? She was Adam Slater’s sister. His significantly younger sister, in fact.

“Have you ever wondered why you have a hard time with relationships, why women want you and yet test and provoke you often, why they seem to struggle with you, but still find themselves groveling to you eventually? Yes, I’ve looked it up. Everything from three, very selfish and silly high school sweethearts, who incidentally haven’t quite been the same since they lost you, to the ex-girlfriend who slid back into your life and your bed just like that, to the now insanely passionate Lassiters, to the sister who burns to be yours and who often uses her lust for you to keep up her success in porn, to the Israeli cutie who misses you like crazy, to your so-called ‘work wife,’ Tara.

“It works like this. The Other is a daemon, what some call a demon. It’s not a fallen angel. It’s not a devil. It’s not even an evil spirit, per se. It’s a powerful, pagan entity, a heathen demigod, of sorts. Not unlike a satyr, in fact, except that it possesses bodies rather than having its own. It left its traces and imprint on your mother and you, not to mention your sister, but it was always stronger with you than with Stephanie or Hortense, because you’re male. It always bonds more with masculine energy than feminine for some reason.

“You only had a bit of its residue, its energy touching you, and your life was already a wild, wanton adventure in debauchery, wasn’t it? Now that you’re a wearer of the ring, a carrier of the Other inside you, it’s going to be even more potent. Its purpose, ultimately, is still unclear, but what I do know is this: those touched by you, whether by you wearing this ring or by the energy of the Other without the ring, are never going to be wholly free of their craving for you. It’s stronger with women than with men, so Amos might be able to handle it to an extent, but even he will experience a strong urge now and then to take you to bed and have you. Any questions?” Alice asked Damien.

“So, you’re saying that they’re ... addicted to me?” Damien tried to clarify.

“In a nutshell, yes. They’re hooked. They can’t help themselves about that, though they can ruthlessly try to shake it or control it. Even then, look what happened when Lauren saw you again. She was putty in your hands, willing to do anything to be yours again. As long as you draw breath, the women in your life, and even the men to an extent, will be painfully aware of their attraction to you, their desire to share your bed. That’s why your sister can’t quite give up on her dream of being yours. That’s why your mother was always a little ... standoffish. She had to fight her attraction to you, something that she had trouble understanding. She never told your father about it, but at times he must have suspected, which had to have strained things between you,” Alice explained further.

“It did, of course. And what was the deal with Marina and Lauren’s cheating, for that matter? If I’m so addictive, how did Lauren behave like that? How did Marina?” Damien was curious.

“Lauren was still in love with Lewis, as well as afraid of him, but she also had strong feelings for you. She was shocked by your vindictive streak, I guess. If you had suggested a threesome or that she invite Marina in to atone, she’d have jumped on it, but you unilaterally decided to plow her friend in a brazen attempt to hurt her back. I’m not blaming you. In fact, I think that you handled it beautifully, even if it cost you her in the short run. Lauren has always had a certain fear and respect for you ever since, something healthy when directed at one touched by the Other.

“Once she was totally out of love with Lewis, and no longer feared him, there was only her passion for and fear of you, and that was more than enough to make her your slut again, this time for good. Marina, well, there is one other factor. She fell in love with you from the day that you met and it upset her to see what was going on between you and Lauren, seeing both of you unhappy like that. In fact, do you know what Lauren is already planning? She’s preparing to get Marina back for you. She’s determined to achieve that for you. Yes, yet another woman for the harem.

“Frank now has several dozen women in his harem, and even half a dozen men, though he shares it jointly with Jim, his brother, your other cousin. I’m one of those women, and I must say, it’s shocking to watch, even now that I know the score. Some of those women are the nuns who once abused Frank while he was in school, but they now submit eagerly to him and whatever designs he has on them. The tables have completely turned on them and they welcome it!

“I want you to be prepared for what’s coming next, so I figured that it was high time that I spoke to you. It wasn’t just my idea, though. It was also Frank’s and Jim’s, among others. And, well, hers,” Alice made room for a very familiar face: Stephanie.

“Steph?” Damien went for a hug, but she grabbed his face and gave him a deep tongue kiss that was definitely not sisterly or chaste at all.

“Oh, my sweet brother, I have burned for this day, longed for it, craved it with every fiber of my being. From day one, I was yours. It was my destiny, to be your woman, well, ONE of your women, to be more exact. So, I’m on your list, am I? Hehe ... yummy! I can’t wait to meet your lady loves, all of them, and make damn sure that they’re treating my beloved brother right!” Steph told him between kisses.

“And Alice here found you?” Damien asked her, even as his hand slipped under her skirt, much to her delight.

“Yes, she did, the little Miss Cupid. Oooh, bro, don’t stop on my account, feel free to yank down my panties and stuff them in your pockets. Hell, feel free to drag me off somewhere and fuck me harder than any of my co-stars ever did! I know that you can, because you’re empowered by this demon of yours. I’m fertile as can be, and quite frankly, I’m not going to renew my contract. “I’m retiring from porn and going to move back in with you, bro! Not that I regret it. No, I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I can get as wild and kinky for you as I did on screen, and it will be entirely for love and lust, not for a paycheck at all. I’m tired of fucking who my directors and fans want me to fuck. I want to fuck you and your lovers instead. I was marking time, but now I’m with you! Trust me, though, my last couple of films will have me going out with a bang, not a whimper!” Steph encouraged him.