Mating Rituals [Impulse 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (13 page)

She looked around, wondering which of these beautiful women were Kane’s and Tyrone’s partners. Before she had an opportunity to decide, they were approached by a man with chocolate-colored hair and deep blue eyes. His beauty stunned her, rendering her temporarily speechless.

“Hey, Rafe,” Kane said. “Come and meet Aisha Carlton. Aisha, Rafe is the owner of this fine establishment.”

“Part owner,” said an equally beautiful man. “I’m Vilas Tanner. Pleased to meet you.”

Aisha’s outstretched hand disappeared into Vilas’s and then Rafe’s.

“Nice to meet you, too,” she said, managing to find her voice. “This is a neat bar.”

“Thanks, we like it.”

A lovely lady with reddish-brown hair and an open smile joined them and slipped an arm around each of the owners’ waists.

“This is Chantal,” Rafe said. “Our partner.”

Their partner? What goes on? Do these two hunks share her? Lucky Chantal!

Before Aisha could get her mind around the arrangement, Chantal drew her aside.

“Let’s leave the guys to talk business. I know they have stuff to discuss and it becomes beyond boring after a while.”

Aisha wanted to ask what business, but Chantal was already leading her away from them. “Sure,” she said, waggling her fingers at Kane and Tyrone as she followed in Chantal’s wake.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to some of the other women.”

Aisha soon had a glass of white wine thrust into her hand. No one had asked her what she wanted to drink—they just seemed to know. Other ladies came to join them. She was introduced to Layla, who was apparently the partner of the two guys who ran the medical Institute, and Talia, who hung out with the security specialists.

“Er, if you don’t mind me asking, do you all get to have two men each?”

The ladies laughed, looking thoroughly pleased with themselves. “There’s quite a lot of that here in Impulse. The natives are programmed to share,” Chantal said. “Sure makes up for the thin air.”

Aisha glanced at the handsome men congregated in the bar and smiled, trying not to let on just how envious she felt about their closeness. She’d never really belonged anywhere or had people that gave a shit about her welfare. It hadn’t seemed to matter, until now. What she’d never had she didn’t miss.

All three ladies were wearing collars studded with expensive jewels.

“Your collars,” Aisha said. “They’re beautiful. Do they signify something specific? I’d like to get one.”

“Oh, you will,” Talia assured her, sharing a smile with her friends. “I’m sure of it.”

“It started out as a joke,” Chantal said. “Rafe and Vilas bought me mine, and so the others felt they had to follow suit.”

She wasn’t being honest, Aisha knew that immediately. That they weren’t prepared to be open with her was a disappointment, because she’d taken an immediate liking to all three of them.

“I gather you work in television,” Layla said.

“Yes, behind the scenes rather than in front of the camera most of the time.”

“What’s it like?” Talia asked. “It looks very glamorous.”

Aisha rolled her eyes. “Looks can be deceiving. Most of the time it’s a lethal, cutthroat business. Competition’s fierce and jealousies are rife.”

“That’s sad,” Chantal said.

Aisha smiled. “You’re right, but it’s the way it is. Always has been, far as I can tell, and I don’t imagine it’s likely to change anytime soon.”

“I’m a journalist myself,” Layla said. “I used to work for one of the big nationals, but I just edit the local rag nowadays.”

“What made you go for such a big career change?”

Layla shot her a droll look. “You work for a big corporation and have to ask me that.”

Aisha nodded. “Point taken.”

“Besides, I have a little girl. I didn’t want to be working all the hours God sent and then regret not seeing her grow up when it was too late to turn back the clock.”

“That’s understandable. The atmosphere in Impulse seems far more laid back than anywhere else I’ve ever been. Well, it would if I could actually breathe the air,” she amended. “How long did it take you all to get acclimatized, or were you born here?”

“No, we’re all fairly new,” Chantal said, sharing another smile with the other ladies. “And something tells me you’re going to adjust in no time at all.”

“I hope so. I really need to get out and check up on the mineral content of the land for myself. There must be an explanation for this weird weather, and I intend to find out what it is.”

“How are you doing with that?” Talia asked.

Aisha shrugged. “It’s still early days. I’m slugging through the records that Kane and Tyrone have given me access to, which ought to keep me occupied until next Christmas.”

The ladies laughed. “Good luck with that.”

“I’m going to need it. The only common factor I’ve been able to find so far is that there was a hurricane in the early nineteen hundreds that decimated this area. There’s no record of any oddities before it hit, but since then they’re well documented. That has to mean something. It can’t just be coincidence, but until I can get out there and arrange for some tests to be carried out on the rock and soil, it will be difficult to get any further.”

“Are you in a rush to leave us?” Layla asked.

“Oh no, everyone’s been so kind.” Aisha looked over her shoulder, trying to see if Kane and Tyrone had linked up with their women—or, judging by the oddities here in Impulse, perhaps it was just one woman. She couldn’t see them anywhere, but she did see something else that made her frown. “Why is that man raking his fingernails down that wooden post? He’ll tear them out, surely.”

All the women followed the direction of Aisha’s gaze. The man saw them looking, flashed what appeared to be an apologetic, or perhaps guilty, smile, stopped what he was doing, and turned away.

“Oh, don’t worry about Wally,” Chantal said airily. “He’s a law unto himself.”

A second round of drinks materialized and the ladies continued to make Aisha feel at home. Even so, she noticed more and more strange things about this place in the periphery of her vision. The customers seemed to enjoy rubbing their faces against one another—even man to man—by way of greeting. A lot of milk was being drunk and the patrons definitely seemed to prowl—their feet barely touching the ground—rather than walk. She wondered if their extreme athleticism was attributable to the atmospheric conditions and made a mental note to check the records for any mention of it.

“Hey.” Kane came up to them and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Having fun?”

“You have no idea.”

“We’ve just been telling Aisha a few home truths about you and Tyrone,” Talia said sweetly.

Kane laughed. “Then let me whip her away before you put her off us completely. Come on, darlin’, Rochelle has a table ready for us in the restaurant.”

“Oh good, I’m starving.”

She said good-bye to the ladies and entered the restaurant flanked by Kane and Tyrone. If they had a significant other, she obviously wasn’t joining them tonight, and Aisha planned to make the most of having them to herself. She had a heap of questions she wanted to ask them about her research.

Rochelle greeted them at the hostess station herself.

“How’s Impulse growing on you?” she asked Aisha, showing them to a secluded table at the back of the restaurant.

She grimaced. “I haven’t got the lung capacity to check it out.”

“Give it time, honey.”

That was Aisha’s problem. She didn’t have unlimited time available to her. The first week of her vacation was already drawing to a close. The thought of going back to the station, a place where she’d spent virtually every waking moment for the past two years married to her job, now filled her with a strange sense of foreboding. Did she really want to leave this lovely community where she already felt at home, despite her limitations, and return to that rat race? The thought brought her up short. She wasn’t aware that she was thinking of a career change. Besides, Impulse was out of the question since she couldn’t even walk the streets without feeling as though she was having a heart attack. It was just a passing fancy, she told herself, brought on by wine and the friendly atmosphere, to say nothing of the two hunks who were shooting her admiring looks and giving her their undivided attention.

Yeah, like that’ll last!

Aisha found herself in a booth with a semicircular leather seat, Kane and Tyrone on either side of her.

“Trust us to order for you, babe,” Kane said. “You won’t be disappointed.”

“Sure.”

Kane was right about the food. Every dish placed in front of her melted in the mouth. As she ate she tried to talk to them about her research, but it was hard to concentrate because the guys clearly didn’t want to discuss it. They were like octopi, managing to eat and continually fondle her at the same time. Hands touched her arms then ran up and down the slinky material that covered her thighs before delving beneath it. Was this a diversion to stop her asking questions?

Where had that thought come from? Why would they wish to divert her when they’d invited her to do all the research she wanted?

She ceased to care when Tyrone speared a shrimp and fed it to her while Kane’s fingers crept up the inside of her thigh. Aisha’s legs fell open beneath the table. Her pulse rate increased as she held her breath, willing him to touch her throbbing pussy and ease the ache that swamped her reason. She had no idea when she’d turned into such a raving sex maniac, nor did she particularly care. There was just something about these two that she found totally compelling.

“She wearing panties?” Tyrone asked.

“Not for long,” Kane replied. “Lift your butt from the seat, darlin’.”

Aisha was too caught up in the excitement to object. As soon as her buttocks left the banquette a strong pair of hands efficiently pulled her panties down her legs.

“That’s a good girl,” Kane said in a soft voice. “And good girls get to be rewarded. What would you most like at this precise moment, Aisha?”

“World peace.”

Tyrone roared with laughter. “She’s got you there, buddy. Even you can’t summon that up.”

Kane tapped the inside of her thigh. “That’s not what you really want, is it, sugar?”

She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, wondering what they’d say if she admitted to an overwhelming desire to be fucked senseless by them both at once, right now in the middle of this restaurant.

“No,” she said, her voice husky with passion.

“No, what?”

“No, sir.”

“Tell me what you do want then, babe, and don’t lie, ’cos I’ll know if you do and then I’ll have to punish you.”

“Touch me,” she said in a breathless whisper. “I need you to touch me. My cunt feels like it’s on fire.”

She noticed the two guys share a glance. “How does it feel to have your lovely pussy on display right beneath this table in a busy restaurant?”

“Decadent, exciting, liberating, frustrating.”

Kane lowered his head and covered her lips with his. “Good answers,” he said.

Aisha felt as though she was drunk, but her euphoria had nothing to do with her alcohol consumption. When Tyrone’s hands joined the party and caressed the inside of her opposite thigh it was a definite case of being drunk on passion. It felt like heaven, and a little whimper of need slipped past her lips.

“You shouldn’t have worn a bra,” Tyrone said sternly.

“My tits are too big to go without one.”

“No, they’re not,” Kane said in a seductive whisper. “They’re big, but they’re firm. I’ll bet your nipples are rock solid right now and they’d look amazing through the fabric of this dress.” Kane kissed her again. “Next time, no bra.”

“Yes,” she agreed meekly.

Aisha became aware of Kane parting the lips to her pussy. She expected to feel his fingers delve inside. Instead her vagina was filled with what she recognized to be a large vibrator. He switched it on to a low setting and pulled her panties back up to keep it in place. She opened her mouth to protest, but he silenced her with a kiss.

“Like that?” he asked.

“Yes, but—”

“No buts, babe,” Kane said. “That stays right where it is for the rest of the evening. Then, when we get back to the apartment, we’ll decide if you deserve anything more substantial to fill that sweet cunt of yours.”

“What do I have to do to qualify for more?” she asked, getting the hang of the game and loving it.

Kane slid a hand back under her dress and flicked his thumb across her clit. She gasped as heat invaded every corner of her body and she came within a hair’s breadth of climaxing. Doing this in public was a huge turn-on, and she decided to get her own back. Before Kane could answer her, she reached for his zipper, yanked it down, and pushed her hand inside his pants. His cock was hard to miss. It was rigidly erect, reaching almost all the way to his belly button. He groaned as she closed her fingers around its massive girth, wondering if she’d ever be able to accommodate it when the moment actually came. One thing was for sure—she’d manage it or die trying.

“Something wrong?” she asked innocently.