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Authors: Jody Wallace
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Lillian asked. “It’s understandable. The tangible is affecting you, and God knows he’s not ugly. But maintain that distance between you anyway.”
She couldn’t believe she was asking this, but she had to know. “No sex ever? Or is later okay?” She stared at some wraith residue on Lillian’s flak vest rather than meet her gaze.
Lillian chuckled. “Later’s okay. If you still want him. Once you’ve dealt with ole Zeke for a month or two, you may find the attraction wanes. Which won’t help you now, I’m afraid. I’m sorry I couldn’t mentor you so you wouldn’t have this particular challenge. And for your own sake. You’re quite a catch, lady.”
“How so?”
“Everything we’ve seen indicates you have a lot of potential. A lot of power. Your mentor will get a fat bonus, damn him.” Lillian smiled. “I could buy a lot of cookbooks with that kind of money. But your strength means you need to be careful. For your sake and his.”
“I’m always careful.” She prided herself on good decision-making and sensible choices, on never rushing into anything. How much would that help her when she was about to crawl into bed with Zeke, under strict instructions to do whatever he told her to do?
She kept thinking of his kiss, the muscles in his arms and his stomach, the tiny scar on his chin. He hadn’t denied being attracted to her, and she couldn’t deny being attracted to him. That attraction troubled his coworkers.
What if he told her to have sex with him? Was she supposed to fake that too?
Lillian patted her shoulder. “Be quick in the shower. The two of you need several hours’ sleep your first time together.” Then she slipped out the door, and closed it behind her with a quiet snick.
Chapter Five
After Lillian left, Zeke shook out Maggie’s pillows and blankets and waited for her to emerge from the bathroom. Lillian’s inability to connect to Maggie was unlucky but not unheard of, considering the tangible. This was why they stationed guards on neos.
Just in case the first mentor didn’t work out. Just in case the first mentor couldn’t handle the neo’s conduits. Just in case the first mentor was a fool.
Lillian wasn’t a fool. Lillian had never screwed her way into a Harrisburg, leaving herself vulnerable to future lapses. There’d been a good chance Zeke’s tangible with Maggie wouldn’t prevent Lillian from linking with her, but that hadn’t been the case. Now the only alucinators who could train Maggie were Zeke or a curator.
When the curators did, it wasn’t always to the disciple’s benefit.
The ECT wasn’t optimal, either. The shocks affected L4s and L5s more than lower-level dreamers. Not only could the ECT scramble Maggie’s abilities, but it could put her to sleep. Permanently.
As much as he hated it, it was better the ECT fry her brain than she become an open conduit for wraiths to invade the terra firma. And it was better yet if he could manage to do his damn job and teach her what she needed to know.
He paused with his thumbs in the waistband of his jeans before stripping to his boxers and climbing under the inviting blankets. Maintaining skin contact was vital in phase one. The more he exposed the better. He could hear Maggie’s shower, the whine of the heater unit, and the street outside the three-story house.
Nothing else. Nothing to distract him from imagining her naked, water sluicing her curves.
He shouldn’t think about her this way, but he was still a human being—and as it happened, he hadn’t had sex in a year. Not since Karen.
Was Maggie a talker? A moaner? Did she like it on top or bottom? Would she wrap her legs around him and dig her fingernails into his shoulders when she came?
Could heget any harder? Or stupider?
Damn it, he had to master the lust. Over the years he’d trained countless dreamers and experienced tangibles with a few. Harrisburg had been the only time he’d had sex with one of his students. Even then, he hadn’t
She couldn’t believe she was asking this, but she had to know. “No sex ever? Or is later okay?” She stared at some wraith residue on Lillian’s flak vest rather than meet her gaze.
Lillian chuckled. “Later’s okay. If you still want him. Once you’ve dealt with ole Zeke for a month or two, you may find the attraction wanes. Which won’t help you now, I’m afraid. I’m sorry I couldn’t mentor you so you wouldn’t have this particular challenge. And for your own sake. You’re quite a catch, lady.”
“How so?”
“Everything we’ve seen indicates you have a lot of potential. A lot of power. Your mentor will get a fat bonus, damn him.” Lillian smiled. “I could buy a lot of cookbooks with that kind of money. But your strength means you need to be careful. For your sake and his.”
“I’m always careful.” She prided herself on good decision-making and sensible choices, on never rushing into anything. How much would that help her when she was about to crawl into bed with Zeke, under strict instructions to do whatever he told her to do?
She kept thinking of his kiss, the muscles in his arms and his stomach, the tiny scar on his chin. He hadn’t denied being attracted to her, and she couldn’t deny being attracted to him. That attraction troubled his coworkers.
What if he told her to have sex with him? Was she supposed to fake that too?
Lillian patted her shoulder. “Be quick in the shower. The two of you need several hours’ sleep your first time together.” Then she slipped out the door, and closed it behind her with a quiet snick.
Chapter Five
After Lillian left, Zeke shook out Maggie’s pillows and blankets and waited for her to emerge from the bathroom. Lillian’s inability to connect to Maggie was unlucky but not unheard of, considering the tangible. This was why they stationed guards on neos.
Just in case the first mentor didn’t work out. Just in case the first mentor couldn’t handle the neo’s conduits. Just in case the first mentor was a fool.
Lillian wasn’t a fool. Lillian had never screwed her way into a Harrisburg, leaving herself vulnerable to future lapses. There’d been a good chance Zeke’s tangible with Maggie wouldn’t prevent Lillian from linking with her, but that hadn’t been the case. Now the only alucinators who could train Maggie were Zeke or a curator.
When the curators did, it wasn’t always to the disciple’s benefit.
The ECT wasn’t optimal, either. The shocks affected L4s and L5s more than lower-level dreamers. Not only could the ECT scramble Maggie’s abilities, but it could put her to sleep. Permanently.
As much as he hated it, it was better the ECT fry her brain than she become an open conduit for wraiths to invade the terra firma. And it was better yet if he could manage to do his damn job and teach her what she needed to know.
He paused with his thumbs in the waistband of his jeans before stripping to his boxers and climbing under the inviting blankets. Maintaining skin contact was vital in phase one. The more he exposed the better. He could hear Maggie’s shower, the whine of the heater unit, and the street outside the three-story house.
Nothing else. Nothing to distract him from imagining her naked, water sluicing her curves.
He shouldn’t think about her this way, but he was still a human being—and as it happened, he hadn’t had sex in a year. Not since Karen.
Was Maggie a talker? A moaner? Did she like it on top or bottom? Would she wrap her legs around him and dig her fingernails into his shoulders when she came?
Could heget any harder? Or stupider?
Damn it, he had to master the lust. Over the years he’d trained countless dreamers and experienced tangibles with a few. Harrisburg had been the only time he’d had sex with one of his students. Even then, he hadn’t
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