Chapter 32

Dawn was walking down the sidewalk with her head down and didn't see Rob as he got out of his cab at the curb. The sound of the car door closing got her attention and she looked up just in time to be caught up in Rob's arms. She squeaked then hummed when he laid a kiss on her lips.

"Hey there," she said shyly when he let go.

"Hey there yourself," Rob answered cheerily. He did a quick scan of his surroundings when he unaccountably felt like he was being watched. The evening rush was on so there were plenty of people on the sidewalk, but no one appeared to be paying special attention to him. He focused on Dawn again when the feeling passed, and he found she was watching him closely.

"You felt that, too, didn't you?" she asked. "Like someone was watching us."

Rob shrugged, trying to pass it off, but now that he wasn't alone with that feeling, it gave him something else to worry about.

"Let's go see what Elaina has made us for dinner," he said to distract her. He thought to himself that he should know better by now when she gave him a goober look, but she let it pass.

Dinner was good, and they all enjoyed themselves. Dawn and Rob made Elaina go relax on the couch so they could do the dishes. Dawn washed and Rob dried; Dawn finished first and joined Elaina on the couch. Rob joined them a few minutes later after everything was put away.

Thinking they might put up a fight, Rob sat on the edge of the recliner across from them. Elaina gave him a cross look, while Dawn gave him a considering one. Rob figured he'd get it out there first and see what they thought.

"I met my mom for lunch today," he started. "She asked me to talk to Gerry about the kids." Dawn blinked in surprise: this isn't what she thought he was going to talk about. Elaina went stone-faced, containing her anger.

"I called him from work and set up a time for us to meet," he continued, keeping his eyes on Elaina. She looked back at him, waiting for more information.

"So..." Dawn said, looking back and forth between Rob and Elaina, "When will this happen?"

"Tomorrow evening, at a pub down on the square," he replied cautiously.

"What time are we supposed to meet him?" Elaina asked, finally joining the conversation.

"Ah, sweetheart?" Rob replied. "I don't think it would be a good idea for you to be there. You can't kill him and I know the temptation will be there, especially if he acts the way I think he will."

"That's not fair, Rob," she started heatedly. She subsided when Dawn put a hand on her arm, shaking her head.

"I hate to say it," Dawn said, "But I think Rob is right. You hear his name and you growl." Rob looked gratefully at Dawn for her support, but she wasn't paying attention: she was trying to sooth Elaina. "Let it go for now. I promise, if Rob can't get him to see reason, you can eat him then."

Elaina shot her a glance and then laughed. "All right then," she said when she'd settled down. She gave Rob a harsh glance. "But you had better take care of it, or I will," she said with finality.

"I promise," Rob answered with relief. "If it doesn't work out, I'll even hold him down for you."

Rob got up from his recliner and went over to collect kisses from his ladies. Dawn accepted hers eagerly, but Elaina tried to put on a pout and turned her head away. Since her lips weren't available, Rob stuck his tongue in her ear instead. She squealed and pulled away laughing, then came in for a real kiss, taking her time and leaving him in no doubt that she wasn't really mad at him.

Figuring he owed her a little something, and since he had to work out anyway, Rob went to the bedroom to get his shinai and came back dressed only in his jockstrap. The girls heckled him the entire time he was practicing, especially when he adjusted a lamp for shadow fencing. Elaina accused him of setting up a spotlight, and Dawn started flinging balled up dollar bills at him. They finally let him be when he started laughing so hard that he knocked over the lamp.

"Hey, Rob?" Dawn said when he'd finished practicing and wrapped a towel around his neck.

"Yes, love?" He smiled when Dawn squirmed in her seat and smiled shyly at him.

"You do know what this weekend is, don't you?" she asked sweetly. Rob frowned when he couldn't think what that might be and shook his head. "It's Saint Patrick's Day weekend. The square's going to be mobbed this time tomorrow night."

"Aw, shit!" Rob exclaimed. "I forgot all about that. Damn it! Well, I've got him cornered; there's no way I'm backing out. He'll avoid my calls from now on."

"Maybe you should think about taking a cab?" Dawn offered innocently.

"Hmm, not a bad thought," Rob replied. "But it might be tough getting a cab home. Maybe I should call the limo service and set something up."

"I hope they've got something left," Dawn said thoughtfully. "This weekend's probably a busy time for them."

Rob hustled down to the bedroom to grab his phone.

"Can you hear him from here?" Dawn hissed when she turned to Elaina. Puzzled, she nodded her head. "So? Tell me where he's going!"

Elaina's eyes widened in surprise when she realized that everything Dawn had said was for this one purpose: to get Rob to divulge his plans where she could hear them. She grabbed Dawn by the ears and planted a great big kiss on her, then she leaned back with her eyes closed.

"Hazelwood Pub," Elaina reported after a few moments, followed by "Seven o'clock."

Dawn got up and ran to the kitchen. Rob had taken to leaving his laptop out in the kitchen so that Dawn could use it when she needed. She found the sunset calendar that Rob had put on the desktop and made note of the time, then she checked on the weather. She heard the water start in the shower and relaxed, knowing that Rob was unlikely to catch her now. She went back to Elaina to report on her findings.

"Bad luck," she said, leaning over the back of the couch. "It's supposed to be a bright sunny day tomorrow, and the sun doesn't set until a little after seven."

"That's all right," Elaina replied. "It's probably better we don't show up at the appointed hour. I doubt Gerry will." She tipped her head. "He just stepped in the shower. Shall we join him?"

"Oh, yes, please," Dawn squeaked, getting up on her toes and doing an intriguing little dance.

"Hmm, I think I see what Rob meant about that dancing thing," Elaina commented as Dawn rushed off to the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind her. Elaina followed along behind, gathering up clothing as she went. By the time she got to the bathroom and dumped the clothes in the hamper, Rob had Dawn pinned, tits to the wall, thrusting vigorously into her from behind.

"Save some of that for me," Elaina called out.

"You better hurry," Rob grunted.

"Not on your life!" Dawn squealed as she came, standing on her toes and vibrating.

Rob pulled out and turned to Elaina as she got in with them. Just watching them had her motor running, and rather than letting him attempt foreplay, she jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his hips. Dawn had recovered enough to assist by then and guided Rob's rigid cock into Elaina's core as she lowered herself down to him. Rob put her back to a wall and resumed thrusting into her now. To hurry things along, she bit him lightly on the shoulder, just enough to draw blood. The extra simulation brought him to his peak, and when she felt him expanding inside of her in preparation of coming, it brought her along with him. Dawn rubbed their backs and cooed her love while Elaina licked the wound and Rob panted with his head against the wall.

Despite the fact they had already showered, they had to shower again. This time they restricted themselves to simply washing and they each dried only themselves when they were done. Shortly after that, they were in bed, the women cuddled up to Rob in the middle.

For once the weatherman was right and the day dawned bright and clear. Elaina had a hearty breakfast waiting for the humans when they finally roused from a good night's rest. Rob came out first, stumping along, smacking his lips and scratching, and then plopping down in front of a steaming mug of coffee. Dawn followed shortly after with mincing steps, stopping in the doorway to stretch for the ceiling, getting both Rob's and Elaina's attention as her breasts rose and fell as she writhed.

"Good morning!" she chirped to the bewitched couple. Rob managed a grunt while Elaina cooed "Good morning" back.

After breakfast, Rob grabbed up the laundry and headed out by himself. They had decided that the three of them really didn't all need to go, so this week the ladies were staying behind to do the other household chores. Next week would be Dawn's turn. Rob and Dawn had decided unilaterally that since Elaina nearly always cooked, she would be exempt from the duty for the foreseeable future.

When Rob arrived at the laundromat, he found Stefan there doing his own laundry. Stefan's stuff was already in the dryers, so it didn't conflict with Rob starting his. Once he was done loading the washers, he leaned over Stefan's shoulder to see what he was reading so avidly.

"They say gang violence is up," Stefan commented as he traced his finger along the article he was reading.

"Yeah," Rob answered. "I ran into some of that myself last week. I had to get rough before they left me alone."

Stefan nodded and made a humming acknowledgement. "Where?" he asked.

"At the dry cleaners over on Corlies Avenue," Rob replied offhandedly. He watched as Stefan ran his finger down the paper, stopping when he found what he was looking for.

"Mmm hmm," Stefan said thoughtfully. "That's the Corlies gang. They're one of the worst. They've been mugging people in broad daylight and beating their victims if they don't get enough from them." Stefan was looking at him out of the corner of his eye and Rob frowned. He was beginning to get a bad feeling.

"What are you suggesting, Stefan?" he asked carefully. Stefan shrugged.

"Oh, nothing," he answered mischievously. "I was just thinking..."

"Oh, no you don't," Rob remonstrated. "There is no way I'm risking her to go up against a gang." Stefan stepped away with his hands raised placatingly when he saw Rob's irises flare golden.

"Not the whole gang, just the leader," Stefan soothed. "Cut off the head of the snake, and the body dies."

"No!" Rob asserted. "The risk of exposure is too great. Let the police handle this; it's what they get paid for. If even one of them got away with word of what Elaina is, we would attract a slayer."

Stefan gave his reluctant agreement, and when pressed by Rob, promised not to mention it to Elaina.

"So, Stefan, what happened to Doug?" Rob asked. "I see that his apartment's empty."

"I'm not sure," Stefan answered. "He moved out about two months ago. He came to me one day and said he couldn't stay. He packed up and moved out the next day. Didn't even collect his security deposit." He shrugged.

"So why haven't you rented out his apartment?" Rob asked.

"You know, it's funny about that," Stefan mused. "The old landlord sold the building without telling anyone. The holding company that bought the building sent me a letter saying that any apartment that went vacant on the fourth floor was to be cleaned up and painted, but it was to be left vacant."

"What about your job?" Rob asked worriedly. Stefan laughed.

"I got a call from the property manager," he replied. "He asked if I would stay on if they offered me my apartment as part of the salary. Hell, that was better than I got from the old landlord, so of course I stayed. He said I got good references from the tenants, but I can't find anyone that even knew we had a new owner."

Just then, the dryers made that rude noise that let's you know they're done. Stefan bundled up his laundry saying he preferred to fold it in his apartment. He wished Rob a good day and left. Rob glanced at the washers, and seeing that he had time yet, pulled out a book to read as he waited.