She rose then made her way to the door on shaky legs. Each doctor she pa.s.sed nodded at her or reached out to shake her hand. Their overwhelming support and admiration touched her. By the time she collapsed onto a modern sofa in the waiting room, tears stung her eyes.
Thank G.o.d, she"d done Kurt proud.
After she"d recovered somewhat from the shock, she realized how beneficial this experience was for her career. A few, short days ago she would have focused on her goals to the exclusion of everything else except, maybe, the resolution of her sister"s financial worries.
Lost in thought, it seemed like no time had pa.s.sed before the doors reopened. Kurt escorted her back inside.
He seated her at the table looking somewhat fierce. She began to worry things hadn"t gone as well as she"d thought.
Dr. Malone a.s.sumed his official role for the p.r.o.nouncement of their decision. "Becca, first we"d like to express our grat.i.tude to you for undertaking this experiment. While the whole process is somewhat unorthodox, this board believes the potential benefits are worth the deviation from standard practices. Please be a.s.sured the raw beauty we witnessed today increased our esteem for you and your future as a brilliant addition to our community. Unfortunately, there are still some lingering concerns regarding the authenticity of the experiment.
Therefore, it has been decided to allow you to proceed to the final stages with a physical witness as a safeguard."
As the implication of their ruling sank in, Rebecca spun in her chair to examine Kurt"s face for his reaction.
He patted her hand then nodded. She could barely force out the words accepting their terms but she managed.
Then it was over. Colleagues rose, shaking Kurt"s hand, congratulating them both before exiting, until the only person left besides her and Kurt was Luke.
He slapped Kurt on the back then bussed her cheek while shaking her hand. A smile spread across his handsome face as he said, "Good job, both of you. I"ll see you tomorrow for stage two."
With a wink, he sauntered from the room.
Chapter Eighteen.
"Are you sure you know what you"re doing here, Kurt?" The familiar drawl travelled across his desk from the wingback Luke now occupied.
Anyone else would have overlooked the underlying tension in his friend"s relaxed pose. He"d arrived early this morning and sequestered himself in Kurt"s office to discuss their strategy for the day"s research.
Before he could answer, Luke continued, "I admit it"s been a while since I"ve had time in my schedule to get some real work done at my practice instead of dealing with the board"s administrative bulls.h.i.t popping up everyday..."
"You excel at bulls.h.i.t."
"Thanks, a.s.shole. Maybe I"m rusty, but I think you"re getting in too deep. Are you sure Rebecca can handle this?"
At the mention of her name, Kurt sighed. She"d slept peacefully when he extricated himself from her tantalizing embrace to confer with Luke. Even after he rose, he"d stood transfixed by the sight of her bundled in his bed, getting some rest, until the door buzzer had sounded again, jarring him from his trance. It was no wonder her body soaked up this time to relax. She had worked so hard for so long, it took time to catch up once she gave in to exhaustion.
Already she looked better. The shadowed circles under her eyes had faded and her skin glowed with a rose-hued vibrancy. Then again, Kurt"s ego suggested, all the phenomenal s.e.x with him may have had something to do with the improvements. She thrived on their carnal adventures.
"Yes. She"s ready."
"And you? Are you taking this all in stride, too?" Luke"s penetrating stare made lying futile.
"h.e.l.l, no. What if I"ve f.u.c.ked everything up? I don"t have a choice now. I"ve set the course and I need to see it to the finish but..." Frustration rose inside him. He shoved back from his desk harder than he intended.
He couldn"t sit here without remembering the first time he"d taken Becca.
"s.h.i.t!" He smacked a palm against the bookcase behind him, rattling the contents. His head hung low for the span of several ragged breaths before he righted the hardback reference of Freudian studies Becca had given him last Christmas. He aligned it with careful precision, allowing his fingers to stroke the binding before he stepped away.
"I don"t understand, Luke. Everything is going well. The experiment is a raging success, Becca"s agreed to be my partner and I guarantee the board will approve the final product. But it seems like I"m hanging on to everything by the skin of my teeth. Maybe it"s too good to be true." Dragging his fingers through his hair only caused it to stand more on end.
Luke didn"t respond. Instead, he rocked the heavy chair back on two legs, grinning like a Cheshire cat until Kurt snapped at him. "Quit that would you? This is serious."
"I"m sorry. But after all the times I"ve made a fool of myself over a woman, it"s nice to see your icy guts in a knot for once." Luke"s apology didn"t conceal the lingering ghost of his smile. "d.a.m.n, though, I give you credit for picking her out of the crowd. You always swore she"d be hot."
"She is, isn"t she?" Kurt groaned. "I knew she"d make an excellent partner for the firm from the moment she approached me after our first cla.s.s to question a flaw no one else caught, not even you, in my latest journal article. Not like one of those smarta.s.s punks who argues to prove how smart they are, but because her mind is designed to solve problems. Because she wanted to improve the research. Right then, I wanted her."
"Why the h.e.l.l didn"t you tell her before James..."
"Tell her what? That I was dying to f.u.c.k her? That I"ve had a perpetual hard-on for her for the past six years?" Kurt cursed, "Probably not the best way to entice your gun-shy intern to team up with you in a professional venture. She would have discounted her talents and a.s.sumed all I cared about was getting in her pants."
He clenched his fists but gritted his teeth against the need to pound something. It wouldn"t eradicate his shame. "When you told me about the board"s decision, part of me cheered. The experiment provided the perfect outlet to expend my l.u.s.t before it could ruin our work. h.e.l.l, then I even started hoping she might want to keep up the smoking hot s.e.x after we finished here. We"re perfect partners, in and out of bed. And she did need to learn to trust herself before she could reach her full potential. You saw her yesterday, she"s ready now."
"Then what"s the problem?" Luke wondered. "You got what you wanted. She"s your partner and she"s burning up your sheets."
"You"re right. I don"t know what the h.e.l.l"s wrong with me. I just can"t stand the idea she might find out I haven"t been completely honest with her."
"Because she"d leave your sorry a.s.s?"
He winced at the thought. "Not just that. I"d hate to see her revert back to the way she was before."
Luke stared him straight in the eye, "Are you in love with her?"
"What! No. Of course not. You know I don"t believe in sentimental bulls.h.i.t." He laughed but the strained sound held no humor. The concept was preposterous. Science didn"t permit him to be swayed by the idea of love.
"Sometimes you have to take things on faith."
"Faith is what people rely on when they want to believe something evidence doesn"t support."
"We don"t have to do this, Kurt." His friend employed the understanding, cautious tone characteristic of his attempts to coax a patient down from the ledge. Literal or proverbial. "The board would have approved the final stages of the Dream Machine study without my involvement. Without the striking videos. It was only your request that swayed them to let me witness the proceedings. Your woman has busted through more than one mental blockade in the past few days. What if she remembers everything? I can call this off right now before we make things worse."
He was torn. He knew what Becca"s final two REM stages contained. d.a.m.n it, she lounged in his bed dreaming them right now during the hour before she woke. The idea simultaneously fired his blood and chilled it. Selfish urges begged him to end this nonsense. But she craved the fantasy.
"No, Luke, we continue as planned. I"m going to be the one to give her what she needs. I have to take her to her limits. I can"t help myself. Even if she hates me for it later."
"I can only argue so much, Kurt, when I"m hungry, too. As your friend, this is the final out I can offer."
He smiled when the taut lines and antic.i.p.ation in his best friend"s expression reflected the primal need consuming him. "Let"s go."
Rebecca hesitated outside Kurt"s office to gather her courage. Sucking in another futile gulp of air, she shivered with antic.i.p.ation. After last night"s relaxing sleep, she"d awakened to an epiphany. She knew what waited for her behind this door. Although she"d opened and pa.s.sed through it many times before, doing so today would mean the acceptance of yet another irrevocable change in her life.
She raised her hand toward the k.n.o.b, not surprised to see her fingers trembling. She couldn"t say if fear, desire or both caused the reaction but she refused to run away. Kurt had taught her to go after what she wanted even if it lay outside her primary goals in life. She was willing to change direction if it meant reaching for something better.
G.o.d, she thought, please let me be doing the right thing. Before she could second-guess her decision, she twisted the handle then strode inside without knocking.
Two sets of eyes tracked her march to the couch. Similar in their eager intensity, they varied in appearance.
Kurt"s steel grey reflected the complete control of his stony, masked expression. Dr. Malone"s rich, jewel green shone in welcome, deceptive in their gentleness.
No one who"d watched him twist his opposition into compliance in tough negotiations with the board-or the raw power of his physical compet.i.tions with Kurt on the tennis courts near the psych building-would mistake his charm for weakness. Both men inspired her imagination, though she"d always favored the hard edge of Kurt"s enigmatic brilliance.
She disguised a shiver as she a.s.sumed a stoic pose on the sofa before them. At least she thought she had, but the dilation of Kurt"s pupils in response shattered her illusion.
His formality for the sake of the cameras fractured the concentrated silence. "Today we"ll begin stage two of the Dream Machine study. Dr. Luke Malone is present to act as a witness for the board."
"I understand, Doctors. Let"s get right down to business. I remember all the dirty details." Not wanting to drag out the suspense, Rebecca decided to put it all on the line but her joke fell flat.
Kurt"s face paled. Had she embarra.s.sed him by being so forward in front of his friend? Maybe her a.s.sumption of control affronted him. She paused, waiting for him to direct her next move.
"All the details of what, Becca?" His tentative inquiry puzzled her.
"My dreams from last night. What else?"
He answered her with another question. "What exactly do you remember?"
"I recall all three stages we uncovered in previous sessions. In addition, I dreamt of a s.e.xual encounter in a public setting where oblivious people sat just feet away. The way it happened at yesterday"s board meeting." She snuck a glance at Luke to gauge his reaction but instead of anger or surprise, she detected acknowledgment and desire. "In fact, my fantasy mirrored the experience down to the tiniest insignificant minutiae. I must have incorporated reality into my desires. Last, I remember...such vivid details..."
Despite the best of her intentions, her voice cracked. She licked her lips to wet the parched surface.
"Go ahead, baby." Kurt nudged her.
"I dreamt two men f.u.c.ked me at the same time."
Her gaze locked with Kurt"s. "You."
Then Luke"s. "And you."
Though no longer afraid to embrace her unconventional tastes, her inexperience cranked up the flush racing to her cheeks. What if her dreams had changed since the last time Kurt doc.u.mented them with the Dream Machine? He hadn"t had time to review last night"s feed since he"d left before she rose and she"d searched him out instead of waiting for his return.
What if he hadn"t seen this? What if her confession shocked him?
The meeting the day before had influenced her fourth REM stage to morph into the wicked game they"d played below the table in yesterday"s meeting. Only a psychic could have dreamed of something that hadn"t happened yet. Therefore, the depraved indiscretion must have replaced whatever had filled that slot on previous nights. Maybe the knowledge Luke intended to witness their session today had sp.a.w.ned this fifth dream.
When Kurt"s hand uncurled from the dents he had clenched in his pants leg, a predatory grin spread across his face. Rebecca a.s.sumed neither her l.u.s.ts nor her bold speech displeased him. From her seat a few feet away, she discerned the outline of his erection beginning to swell along the length of his thigh. No, he didn"t hate the idea.
She bit her cheek, imagining the possibilities. Would they go through with this?
Less sure of Luke"s reaction, she peeked over to discover his open admiration of the cleavage showcased in the vee of her jacket. The bulge tenting the front of his trousers expanded as she watched.
Kurt and Luke exchanged glances. With the ease of men who have been friends long enough to be as close as brothers, they swapped silent communication in an instant. Both moved at the same time, converging on her where she sat. Their bulk and strength crowded her, encasing her in their scalding heat. Kurt took her mouth in a fierce, possessive kiss while Luke stripped off her shoes then began to knead the flesh beneath.
Before she could recover from the intensity of their initial touch, broad hands guided her down onto the plush area rug covering the industrial carpet. Fingers flew everywhere at once, over her neck and face, tracing the lines of her suit jacket and teasing the hem of her skirt. Working together, the doctors removed her jacket, shirt and skirt in less than ten seconds.
Rebecca"s head spun as they bombarded her with sensations. They were both so attentive it was as though they knew just where to touch her to drive her wild. Kurt gathered her close to his side while he skimmed the lacy edge of her bra with his tongue. Luke mimicked the gesture across the tops of her thigh-high stockings. The feathered touches of their moist tongues drove her higher. She realized the animalistic sounds filling the room came from the back of her throat as she struggled to get closer.
"G.o.d, you"re beautiful." Luke groaned against her sensitive inner thigh.
"So smart and brave," Kurt crooned in between licks and nips on the upper slopes of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
"You"re...perfect."
She reached out to brush the silky strands of Luke"s hair between her fingers while her other hand gripped Kurt"s biceps. He peeled the dainty bra away from her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as Luke tugged her panties off. Kurt a.s.sisted Luke by raising her hips. Their tag team approach triggered a flood, which washed her clenching channel with desire.
"Tell us, Becca. What do you want?" Kurt"s rough voice and the lines of strain bracketing his mouth conveyed his superior restraint. What she wanted most was to be ravished. To become the center of their pleasure, knowing every touch would burn her alive.
"Use me." She trusted them to shape her into the ideal receptacle. "Please. Take me. However you like.
Make it good."
At her desperate plea, Luke bit the tender spot between her thigh and p.u.s.s.y with enough force to a.s.sure he"d received her submissive message. When he groaned against her, the shockwave traveled through her electrified nerves, causing her to gasp and arch.
"You"re right, Kurt. She is perfect."
Kurt rocked his ma.s.sive erection against her hip while he worked on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her fingers wrapped around the pulsing shaft then squeezed, loving the heft of his satin flesh and the musky scent of his arousal. His hands roamed across her torso and abdomen causing her eyes to flutter closed.
"No, Becca. Watch." He snagged a cushion from the couch to prop her up.
"Taste her, Luke." His friend complied with famished laps. Kurt cradled her as Dr. Malone drove his tongue inside her soaked slit. She nearly came on the spot.
He rumbled his appreciation as more of her slickness coated his face.
Kurt"s tight laugh followed. "I know. She"s delicious. Feast on her. Make her come for you, Luke."
She shrieked when Luke sucked her c.l.i.t into his mouth. Her hips bucked against his glistening chin. Kurt"s fingers cupped her jaw, drawing her attention to him. "You like this, baby? You like being taken by two of us?"
When she hesitated, his grip strengthened.
"Tell me now. Or I"ll make him stop, I swear it."
"No! Please don"t. I love it. Let me touch you, taste you." She begged for mercy as the first hints of her imminent o.r.g.a.s.m spiraled inside her. If they abandoned her now she"d die.
Kurt freed his hard-on then knelt beside her head, his c.o.c.k bobbing in time to his pounding heart. "Is this what you want?"
She lunged for his proffered erection, devouring him in one slurp. The engorged tip b.u.mped the back of her throat. After willing the muscles to relax, they parted to let him pa.s.s. His head dropped back. The cords on his neck stood out in stark relief as he moaned. Luke drove his long fingers to the extent of his reach inside her p.u.s.s.y. Her spasming muscles hugged the intrusions, rippling around them.
Kurt"s d.i.c.k absorbed her scream as she came and came.
Luke"s fingers wrung every drop of pleasure from her p.u.s.s.y, making wet slurping sounds with every thrust.