Editing Adventures of Dash Karp and Cat Flynn (section)

== Chapter 9 "Suite Sleep"==

'''''CAT'''''

She did not miss that pointed look, a flicker of fear wondering if *all* of her belongings were here.  She gave Dash a grateful smile when he got rid of Alice, not wanting anyone from Lorenzo's people near her right then.  She sat on the couch, the cloak wrapped tight around herself. "Come sit?" The word not an afterthought, but spoken softly. "Please?" She frowned a slight bit at the way he put that. "Show?" She shook her head softly. "yeah, I am not half bad for a gypsy dancer, hm?" she chuckled, patting the couch beside herself. "Does that door lock?  Or can we block it with something?" She did not want to consider whether the rampant energy had spent itself or if they might get unexpected and unwelcome visitors.


'''''DASH'''''

There was a bolt, and I slid it closed against any unauthorized entry. I held my own cloak close about me the moment I remembered I was naked underneath. I accepted her invitation and sat next to her on the couch but left a bit of non-threatening space between us. "These folks are the lustiest bunch I ever seen. I knew Gladys could be  a loose woman, but....sheesh!" I pushed my fingers through my hair, shaking my head. "But are you all right, Cat? It looked like you were choking at one point there." I was still trying to decide how Lorenzo came up with Atlantic City and I regretted not asking where in Atlantic City he wanted me to go. But it struck me suddenly! The night club called Cleopatra's Barge, featuring a room called "The Sands of Time". I had been there once before, but I couldn't recall any openly displayed phallic symbols. 


'''''CAT'''''

Under other circumstances she would have been more circumspect, but her barriers were low given the expenditure of energy, not unphased herself by the events of the evening.  She dragged a hand through the silken spill of raven hair as she smiled. "I was being choked, he was unhappy being told what to do," a small shrug was visible that shifted satin against flesh. "But if I do not retain control of the energy, it can go all...wonky." She ate up that nonthreatening distance in a smooth movement, legs on the couch, her head on his chest, a hand against a bare patch of flesh on his chest. "The trick is not to let them see you tremble really," her words lower, slower, her body nestled up close to his, the red satin cloak still worn over nude flesh as blue eyes drifted closed, dark lashes against pale cheeks.  His energy was so solid, and warm and strong that it was like setting herself adrift into safety for the first time since they had begun running.  Sleep took her down swiftly, a fading thought to mention to him about the possible night terrors, but she was sound asleep before the words could form, holding fast to him as serenity replaced the seer, even a gypsy could be alluringly innocent to look at while sleeping.


'''''DASH'''''

Who was so unhappy at being told what to do that he was choking her? Was she actually communicating with Al'Khazzan? Or at least believed she was? And what exactly did she mean about the energy getting 'wonky'? I thought it was pretty damn 'wonky' in there as it was! What was the significance of the colors of the robes and how they were arranged at the table? Where does she know Arnav from? I explained away the carnality as simply human lust enhanced by the atmosphere of the moment; the atmosphere being dim red light and half naked bodies. That will do it everytime!
 
My own odd feelings during the seance, I was sure, were due to the strangeness of the situation coupled with just a tinge of anxiety concerning Cat's ability to be convincing. Well she certainly proved to be quite convincing! Nonetheless, the rest of the scene still had me scratching my head and wondering about the sanity of all those involved. Except my own, of course. At least I didn't get caught up in all the sexual stimulation. I like a naked, willing, writhing female as much as the next guy, but everything had its time and place.
　
I had plenty of questions, but whatever answers she had would have to wait. She fell asleep so sweetly againt me on the couch I simply didn't have the heart to give her a shake just so i could interrogate her. Still, as pleasant as it was, I could not just sit there while Gypsy Exotica (or was it Erotica?) caught a nap against my chest. I eased myself away, disturbing the colak as I did and it seemed her entire left side was momentarily exposed. I looked. I looked for longer than was appropriate before reluctantly covering her back up once I got myself free. So call me a cad! A masher! Any red blooded American male would have done the same thing. Her pale skin seemed flawless in its absence of blemish or blotch. Under closer scrutiny, I would say her skin was even finer than Magdelena's. In fact, I was struck by how the very thought of Magdelena seemed far less alluring now than it did in the Red Hall.


'''''CAT'''''

She had fallen into a deep sleep, the sort where exhaustion grabs you by the throat and drags you down without asking permission or giving you time to prepare. So deeply asleep was she that she did not feel him ease off the couch much less notice the slip of cloak.  For close to an hour she was very still, cheek cradled against pale arm, breathing softly.  The first hint of anything being amiss might have been the scrunch of bare toes, a tension creeping through her sleeping form.  On the dream plane, she was seated on a long slab of marble that was carved with the imagery akin to that on the walls of the red room.  Her dream body moved, hands sliding over the carvings as she rolled to her belly then her back, sightless eyes opening as a grey and blue cloud slithered up over the stone to lick along her bare arms and legs.  Breath was hard to get and what breath she could gain was used in soft small moans as disembodied hands clutched at her, pulled her hair, and suddenly in the dream she was in the carved chair again only this time the hands carved on it were alive, hot and dry as spiderwebs.  On the couch she writhed, the cloak fell open as she threw herself to her back, muscles constricting as she threw her head back.  Blue eyes opened though she was not awake and she shrieked helplessly, night terrors holding her in their grasp.


'''''DASH'''''

While Cat slept, I decided to inspect my surroundings. It was clean, pleasantly decorated, but not in the ostentatious fashion I might have expected from Lorenzo. At least there were no pornographic scenes on the walls. I think it might have made Cat uncomfortable. I went into the bedroom designated for me and found the dinner clothes laid out on the bed. I was thinking it might be a good time to take a shower and get ready for dinner, when I heard some stirring in the sitting room. I looked trough the door to the couch and saw Cat writhing restlessly and once again her cloak fell open, but now she was fully exposed and I caught myself staring again. I started to move to the couch with every intention of carrying her to her bed, covering her, and tucking her in before getting my shower. But then she screamed. It was a horrific scream that I would not have guessed she could produce. But it had me covering the distance from the bedroom door to the couch in just four strides. This time, I didn't even bother to cover her up and grabbed her shoulders, sitting her upright. "Cat! Its okay! You're safe!"


'''''Cat'''''

Trapped in the grip of the night terror she was not seeing him or feeling his hands on her shoulders. Instead she was fighting the feeling of hands seizing her hair, drawing her head back until her throat was taut, capturing her wrists and ankles in a painful grip.  The disembodied hands yanked her thighs apart, more hands crowding over her breasts and belly, even between her thighs as muscles quivered, fighting with all her strength to no avail.  Voices crawled through her brain murmuring 'ours, owed, ours, forever', triggering more screams as her physical body matched the dreamscape motions.  Gods if she only were aware of what her limbs were doing, she might have been mortified. As it was, she was caught in the spectral grip, the temperature around her body and his dropping precipitously.

'''''DASH'''''

"Cat!" I shook her, but she seemed locked in a nightmare. "Cat!" She seemed to be siezed by something I could not see, and it was suddenly cold. The way she opened her legs stunned me and I shook her harder to no avail. "Cat! Wake up!" This was all so strange to me and I wondered just what Cat was afflicted with. I am a well read man, but psychology was something I never really looked in to. I was ignorant of methods or practices that might aid her now so I resoted to a good old slap across her face. It was enough to leave a red mark on her left cheek, and then I pulled her close, fully within my embrace depsite her nakedness. She could call me names later if she wished, but lust was not my motivation. I just wanted the screaming to stop. 

'''''CAT'''''

She would have to give it to him, the slap was a genius move for someone unaccustomed to dealing with such things.  The slap rocked her head, cheek going bright hot pink and it might hurt later but right then in her awareness a warm wind blew off the hands, wrapping around her body tightly and lifting her from the hateful chair.  That he was holding her close against his body was fantastic, as she often came out of these still unsure of which world her awareness was in.  She stiffened, struggling a moment. "No,no!!! don't let them...not theirs...no!! please!" Breathing hard, her arms were like slim steel bands around him as she closed her eyes tightly. "No no no," murmuring like a liturgical prayer.

'''''DASH'''''

I wanted to soothe her and comfort her but I was completely out of my element and, quite frankly, I was wondering if I wanted to be in this particular element at all. "Shhhh...its okay now, Kitten. I got you." But I really had no idea what it was I had. Not entirely true. I did know I had a scared, perhaps unstable naked gypsy girl in my arms. And I was not even trying to take advantage of that fact! "I won't let them do anything you don't want," though I didn't know who 'they' were. Indeed it was becoming increasingly clear I didn't know much in this case. I was usually on top of things. I usually had three or more advanced plans running at the same time, with just as many escape routes all mapped out. But in this case, I was flying blind without a parachute. I didn't even know where this place was. Were we still in Manhattan? Or some other property of Lorenzo's? Was Applewhite looking for me? Was I really going to Atlantic City? Was he going to hold Cat for security? I mentally shook my head while I still held Cat close and wondered if I would even get a moment to consider it all. Or maybe I didn't want to consider it. The outlook might not be all that good. 

'''''CAT'''''

His voice, a deep baritone against her ear as her arms snaked around his neck, pressing close as she slowly eased into the here and now.  She was aware that her cheek was hot, less conscious of the press of bare skin to his bare skin, no shower taken yet so his cloak was presumably on still.  She was shaking softly, voice low. "I'm sorry, it...sometimes the energy....it leads to night terrors," she was suddenly caught on a word, easing her grasp back and meeting his gaze with a lift of brows. "I thought you were only calling me that for show, you know....out there." She was somewhat happily surprised that none of Lorenzo's people had burst through the bolted door to see why she was screaming. "Ohhhh," realization hitting like a tap on the shoulder, suddenly terribly well aware of the skin to skin part going on. "I am real sorry if I scared you Dash," her chin dipping some.

'''''DASH'''''
 

Dammit! I called her 'Kitten' and didn't even realize it, and she caught it. I would certainly have to be more aware. "I apologize, Catarina. It just sort of came out in the moment." When she realized she was naked and against me, I did the chivalrous thing and eased her back and pulled her cloak closed. "I don't scare easy, Catarina. If that whole circus with lorenzo didn't scare me, I think I can handle you having a bad dream." Night terrors she called it? It sure seemed terrifying. I removed myself from the couch and made sure my own cloak was held closed and started for my bed room. "Why don't you get a shower, and then I will. I don't know when they will be calling on us for dinner."