Dashing Devil Omnibus 1: Books 1-3, page 106
“Oh?” Boyd groaned, flexing under her fingers.
“Mhmm. That was him. When you came to save me, both times, him,” she said, beginning to work his hard-on in earnest. “Mindy says it was the only way you could break the compulsion on you to follow orders.”
Boyd blinked, not having considered that yet. He realized that if there had been a compulsion on him to report suspicious actions or behaviors that might indicate someone was against The Authority, then another to follow orders only made sense. Why take half measures if you were already crossing the line and leaving your morals behind? His concern became just how many Heroes they had done this too.
“They lay compulsions like yours only on PAC raised kids, mostly early on and they normally remove them at age sixteen when they start interacting with the general public,” Mindy answered his unasked questions out loud. “They justify it as being necessary to control all those Powered children in one location. They know it wouldn’t hold up in the public’s eye, though, which is why they remove them before the public can notice. It’s part of why the PAC training is so classified. They decided not to remove yours because of your Power.”
“That has to stop,” Boyd growled.
Things were getting very confusing for him. Silvie was shifting and grinding against him while her hand worked at his manhood. At the same time, Mindy was revealing a deep seed of corruption within The Authority which supposedly held free will above all else.
“And just like that, we’re on the same side,” Silvie purred before leaning in to kiss him tenderly. The way her hand worked at him intensified, making it harder to think about anything but the attention she was giving him.
“Okay.” Mindy patted his shoulders. “Let me up so you three can… catch up. We can talk about the rest of this stuff over dinner.” She was smirking down at him.
Raev felt a little uneasy next to him, though, drawing his eye. She looked amused, but all he sensed from her was concerned uneasiness—that, and the little bit of arousal that had built up earlier. Apparently, it didn’t even fade in her sleep.
She must have seen the concern in his eyes because she gave him a weak smile. “Sorry, just ah, remembered something a little upsetting. Let the not-so-little sexy goth up so you can help me forget.”
He leaned up so that Mindy could extract her legs from beneath his head. Not liking the way Raev was feeling, but having already been told how to fix it, he rolled towards her—at least as far as Silvie pinning his other wing allowed.
Finding her lips with his, he pulled Raev to him, kissing her deeply until the uneasy feeling was replaced by building lust. Silvie was also full of need for him, so he switched to her once Raev was feeling well enough.
Mindy quietly extracted herself as the three began to move together. Boyd was half tempted to tell her to stay—she’d likely experience it through one or all of their minds, anyway. He wasn’t sure she was ready for something like that, though, and didn’t want to make her think he wanted her to if she didn’t want it, too. Plus, her words about how Tinker would take it had stuck with him.
He comforted himself with the knowledge that if she were interested, she would have picked up his thoughts and said something.
‘Thank you for the consideration, and I’m not disinterested, but this is time for you three to reconnect. I’ll entertain myself elsewhere.’ She put the thought of her pleasuring herself while watching through the eyes of one of his lovers into his head.
He groaned at a combination of the strangely arousing thought and Silvie working her soft little hand against him. Dating a telepath would certainly make his time spent with other women interesting.
Chapter 29
Silvie still enjoyed being in control. She reveled in things like taking a fistful of Raev’s hair and controlling her head through a messy blow job while she made out with Boyd. Raev ate it up, too, guiding his tail to her slit and cumming all over it while Silvie guided her to use her mouth to please him.
Silvie had also taken to egging Boyd on until he’d control her in similar ways. She even used some of the ‘breed me’ language she’d heard Raev used to drive him wild during one of the more intense moments. The idea that Mindy might be watching it all through any of their thoughts excited him.
Needless to say, things had gotten… sticky. Now it was almost time for dinner, and everyone agreed that it would be better not to be late, or to arrive sticky. A quick shower was in order.
Only problem was, when they went through the door Silvie had said led to the bath, Boyd found something closer to a luxury locker room on the other side than a bathroom. There were no lockers, but it was the function Boyd knew to associate with the room. This one was mostly done in lightly stained, highly polished wood and beige fabric surfaces.
Everything looked clean and was well-lit, but comfortable and soft.
The room was longer than it was wide and had four distinct areas or stations as you walked along. First, there were walls of shelves to either side with just way too many kinds of towels stacked on them. It was enough to give anyone decision anxiety. Boyd didn’t know towels came in so many sizes or fabrics.
They were all shades of white and off white, though—so at least he didn’t have to pick a color. Boyd figured he couldn’t go wrong with a simple large cotton towel, but he stood corrected. He had to pick out a thickness and weave type. There were convenient informational placards that listed each fabric, its thickness, and the towel’s dimensions.
During his search, Boyd noticed an additional detail on the thinner towels. It was apparently an acronym, but not one he recognizes off the top of his head—at least not in relation to towels. Off-World Systems came to mind, but that made no sense. The acronym, ‘OWS’, was followed by a percentage as low as one percent, but no higher than ninety five percent where it was listed.
“What is OWS?” he asked after finding a decently large cotton towel without the designation.
Silvie seemed to be helping Raev pick her towel, apparently having become an expert in the task when he wasn’t looking. “Opacity When Saturated,” Silvie said as she floated over. Raev glided across the hardwood floors behind her on bare feet.
Boyd had to go over the words again in his head before what that meant for a towel clicked. He only had to imagine what 1% opacity would look like when wet. If Silvie wrapped his lovers up in one of those and took them into a sauna, got it nice and steamy, and…
He leveled a look at the woman in question. “You will not trick anyone into wearing one of the one percent towels into the sauna or steam room or bath instead of a swimsuit or something.” He spoke firmly, having decided that he needed to be more proactive when it came to curtailing some of Silvie’s plotting.
She rolled her gorgeous blue eyes at him beneath her slightly darker silver eyebrows and pouted. “Those ones are so thin that it’s pretty obvious what will happen when they get wet. Seriously, I’ve got panties thicker than that. You can almost see through them even when they’re dry. Anyone I ‘trick’…” Air quotes were quickly becoming a thing for their team, it seemed. “…into wearing one of those, is just looking for the excuse.”
“Silvie!” Boyd rumbled, adding a little warning. Just because she’d built a swanky luxury base for them didn’t mean she got to act like a spoiled rich kid—or use their justifications.
Another eye roll was followed by a dramatic sigh. “Fine. I promise only to ‘trick’ girls into wearing the five percenters for my Darling’s viewing pleasure.” She finished with a bell like giggle.
“No,” Boyd grumped.
“Ten?” She started pushing him down to the next section. “Is it a taste thing? I know you like it when I wear sheer lingerie.”
“It’s a ‘don’t trick people into exposing themselves to me’, thing,” Boyd rumbled, letting himself be pushed on to the next station.
The walls here were lined with more shelves, but these contained bottles, jars, and other containers of soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and other more specialty products. Again, there were enough options to inflict even the most savvy consumer with decision anxiety. This time, he was saved by the fact that there was a section labeled with his name.
“Fine, I won’t go lower than seventy-five without explaining what it means, I promise,” Silvie said in her most sincere voice as she guided him deeper into the hall-like room.
Boyd considered accepting the terms to prevent her trying to find a way to circumvent him but decided against it. He came to a stop and Silvie didn’t shove. “Silvie, my love, I don’t want to feel like I have to protect people from you.” He said it seriously because it was serious.
It was all fun and games until she read someone wrong and created a victim.
She instantly pressed herself into his back, tucking her face into his neck. “I don’t want that either, Darling.”
“You know why these things are important to me?” It wasn’t a question.
“Yes, Darling.” She nodded against his neck.
“We have Mindy, now,” he rumbled. “You can go as low as seventy-five percent without warning them only with her sign-off. I know I would be the real target of these pranks, anyways, so I would prefer any woman involved be in on it. That is much more to my taste.”
“Yes, Darling,” Silvie nodded again.
Boyd was paying attention to his Bonds. Silvie was conflicted—both upset and excited at the same time. Examining the emotions left him with the impression that she was upset he felt the need to say something like that, but also excited that he’d been firm with her.
He was a little worried that Raev would react poorly to seeing another minor conflict between Silvie and him. Instead, he felt a sense of approval from her. She either liked the way he’d handled the situation, or it was just another effect of her overnight revelations. His Bond with Tinker was still new and not stable enough to tell him how she was feeling at the moment, given their distance—other than she was not in distress.
“Good. I love you, always. I’m just…” Boyd let it trail off.
“I understand, Darling,” Silvie responded softly. “I’ll be careful to make sure you never have to associate me with that type of thing. I know you know I would never purposefully hurt someone… and you’re right, using Mindy to make sure I’m not misreading someone is a good idea. Besides, under these rules I can just tell them about the lower percentage ones and let them decide how daring to be.”
Boyd snorted. If that was her incentive for seeking consent before having a woman wander into a bath with him in a towel that would all but disappear when it got wet, he’d accept it. How many women could that really include?
Boyd’s other self stirred, projecting a vague amusement and smugness. It dragged forward memories that reminded him of at least twenty women that Silvie had interacted with—some of which she’d likely selected for their propensity to do things just like that. Then, he remembered a more recent conversation about forming a continental defense team, which—at a minimum—would include at least twelve field members.
‘Kuh-heh.’
Mindy’s laugh echoed in his head and Boyd swallowed, discarding the question for now. That was a problem for future Boyd, and he would much rather focus on the women currently in his life.
He glanced around the new section. The shelves were labeled with handwritten placards, and Boyd recognized Mindy’s fancy script. She’d spent a lot of time practicing it. Sometimes, she used to do it with her nails on his chest, back, or even his wings—tracing words and messages before asking him to guess what they were by feel.
The two shelves labeled with his name contained more products than he’d ever used before. He spotted something labeled ‘wing wax’ and picked it up. It said it was to be applied to leathery wing surfaces in a thin layer using a soft bristle brush in a circular motion. It promised more supple and flexible skin and helped protect one’s wings from exposure to the elements.
Boyd put it back down with a shrug. He supposed that someone without Powered healing like him might benefit from something like that, but his wings stayed functional and presentable with minimal effort. He spotted metal wire baskets lining the bottom shelf and grabbed one to pop his basic shampoo, conditioner, and soap into.
Raev was oohing and aahing over a much larger selection of products that spanned several shelves labeled with her name, evidently having already forgotten all about the spas she gave up back in the city.
He smiled as he watched her fluffy tails sway back and forth as she opened one bottle after another to sniff the contents. Her ears twitched differently depending on her opinion. He was learning what meant good or bad pretty quickly. The hints the Bond continuously supplied him with certainly helped with learning such things. Looking around, he noticed a lot of empty shelves with blank placards and others that seemed to contain products for guests or visitors.
He spotted a section for Tinker, but it stood empty. When he asked Silvie about it, as she was gathering her own selections, she said that Tinker made her own hair and skin care products and hadn’t brought them in yet. Then he noticed a section labeled with Hope’s name.
He found his feet taking him to stand in front of her shelves. She had several products there waiting for her. There were multiple options for hair and body wash, as well as products for her feathers. He picked up a spray bottle labeled Feather Glistener. It said to spray on feathers after drying to give them ‘that extra glistening shine’. Boyd didn’t know what that meant, but he wanted to find out.
“Going to stop forgetting her?” Silvie asked in his ear, having floated up silently behind him.
Boyd had felt her mischievous intent and expected it, so didn’t startle… this time. She settled herself against his back and wings, still naked as the day she’d been born as they hadn’t bothered to dress since making love.
Boyd’s Changed Mind made an ‘ahem’ sound, a throat clearing, in his mind. Boyd’s other self stirred, insisting that they would not forget about Hope ever again. Carefully placing the spray bottle back in its proper place, he responded, “I won’t forget her. I assume you have a plan?”
“Of course,” Silvie giggled, guiding him back from Hope’s shelves and down towards the next section. “Don’t get too excited, though, it will take a little time. She’s pretty ingrained with her team and popular in New Eden. She wants the transfer, though… has filed for it every way she can. We’ll have to get her, but we have to build our own team up a bit, first. That’ll make it an easier sell. I’m working on ways for you to meet in the meantime, though. If we get a few public dates and then people see how the two of you are together, we can start getting the citizens to push for her reassignment.”
“Won’t that cause…” Boyd started to say.
“I don’t want to try hiding the nature of our relationship,” Silvie cut in. “It sounds like more trouble than it is worth. I’ve talked to Raev and Mindy about it, in detail, and they both agree with me. Tinker didn’t care one way or the other, she just wants to stay out of the public eye as much as possible. Besides, being upfront allows us to lean into the image you’ve started cultivating.”
“What image is that?” Boyd wasn’t conscious of a particular image he was going for.
Chapter 30
“Don’t mess with the Devil’s women!” Silvie said it dramatically. “If you do, he’ll show up, and you won’t like what happens next.”
“Okay.” Boyd could appreciate where this was going and could work with it. “We appease the higher-ups by keeping me in a primarily support role. They appease me by letting me enter the field if any of you are in danger. I’d probably patrol with the team from time to time in displays of strength.”
“Oh, no, you’re always going to be with us. None of that from time-to-time bullshit,” Silvie added vehemently. “You’ve shown you are a heavy hitter, so there is no reason to hold you back. You’ve always shined brightest when in command from a combat support position, though—able to observe and to issue commands or to step in where needed.”
That did fit with how he preferred to operate.
“So,” Silvie continued, “I was thinking you might like that position… Captain, but as combat support. If anyone gets close to hurting one of us, you’ll step in to chastise them. After a few times, word will get out—Don’t mess with the Devil’s women. Better to surrender if you can’t run.”
She wasn’t wrong, Boyd did very well in that role. He also had no issue with sending that kind of message. It was a way to protect his lovers with his reputation alone, while still allowing them to be the ones who shined. It spoke to his other self particularly strongly, who rumbled his support of the idea.
He would make them more Powerful, polish them up and watch them sparkle in the public’s eyes.
“Okay.” Boyd nodded. “That’s my role, then. Regarding the public dating… if it’s what everyone wants, I won’t force anyone to hide it... once I’m allowed back in public, that is.”
“Funny you should say that.” Silvie grinned her wicked grin and Boyd realizes he’d fallen right into her trap. “Director Davis believes it would be beneficial for you to appear in a couple of cities next week—Not as a Hero, just as a visitor. Let you be seen in other places, so they think you are either being moved regularly, or at least aren’t this close to Glorith.”
“So, the logical thing to do is take you ladies out on dates.” Boyd smiled.
“Mhmm,” Silvie hummed. “I couldn’t get clearance for New Eden when I tried. It would be a terrible city to go on a date in, anyway. I reserved a table for Mindy, Raev, you and me for next Friday at a lovely little restaurant with a dance floor in Grandeur City. It’s a spot frequented by visiting Heroes that has a press section. We can add Tinker without any trouble, but I doubt she will be interested; she wants to avoid the press. I know you like to pretend to hate dancing, but you really shouldn’t bother. The only time I saw you smiling towards the end of training at the PAC was during dance practice.”
