Heidi may have been a ghost but she wasn't a dead ghost. She had feelings and very real emotions. At the moment, she was certain of it because she was filled with rage.
While Edward slept, Heidi rejuvenated herself and maybe she spent too much time with Edward's playthings and overdosed on steam. She'd used Edward's inventions for a few hours which only confirmed what she'd suspected. She was able to function if she was fully empowered by Edward's inventions. It was a remarkable discovery.
Through Edward, she'd gained a second chance at life.
She marched to the closet and thumbed through her clothes. In her former profession, men had handled her with care. She'd made sure she chose her jobs carefully and only romanced men worthy of her time. Okay so Stan Graves may have been the exception but he was young, hung and a hell of a good time in bed. A woman had the right to her obsessions and Heidi never hid or denied her dick-addiction.
Heidi shared a sensational sex life with Stan and since she'd been dead, she'd been in a constant state of arousal. Well, not exactly. When Stan was still living at the loft, fucking those damn floozies in her bed, she'd been angered to the point she detested sex and why wouldn't she? After what Stan did to her, she felt dead inside. And to make matters worse, death struck from the inside out.
Besides, there wasn't anyone around to drag into her bed. Stan couldn't see her and if he could, she damn sure wouldn't have let him lay the first hand on her. He'd killed her, for crying out loud.
The thought of murder jolted her back to the last conversation she'd overheard prior to Stan liquidating her assets. He'd met with a group of businessmen in the loft, discussing a new invention, something so powerful it could wake the dead.
One of the men at the meeting suggested an up and coming inventor should be apprised of Stan's new real estate listing. Those in attendance agreed Stan's marvelous home was a perfect location for someone on their board. It was then suggested that one of the partners mention to someone—apparently Edward—that he make the purchase when the loft was listed for sale.
Days later, Edward bought the property. One of his partners had manipulated the sale. Heidi felt uneasy about it. Without a doubt, Stan was up to something. Her former lover's smug expression when he told one of the partners to ‘leave everything to him’ because he knew how to ‘get rid’ of problems alarmed her.
Heidi pursed her lips. She remembered hearing about a young investor, Barron Capwell. Was that why he could hear her on the phone? No, that was ridiculous. Stan had dropped a lot of names while he lived there. She couldn't assume everyone he ever mentioned could see her.
But why had Barron's name stuck with her? And why did she have such a strong feeling Edward was in danger? Did his partners want him disposed of or did Stan have plans to harm this Barron fellow?
Heidi stilled with the thought and closed her eyes, reliving the day she died.
The sun was out. She'd had breakfast in bed that day and thought it was a perfect day for shopping. She'd loaded up Rocks in his carry-all and headed out early, ready to hit the Strip and shop until she dropped. She made it through the first few stores when Stan called her complaining about his delayed flight. She'd been emphatic.
What a mistake.
He said he'd let himself in and was waiting in bed with a treat, a surprise, implying he was ready to give her what she'd longed for—a threesome. Heidi had been dying to get her hands on Marc something or another since she'd hired him at The Love Parlor. If memory served her correctly, Stan insinuated Marc was on his way.
She'd raced home.
She'd been so convinced Stan went out of his way to please her before he left town. Stan told her to stop and pick up the most expensive bottle of champagne she could find. Later, he drank the champagne in celebration of the murder he'd orchestrated and carried out without a hitch.
Heidi clenched her fists. Yes indeed, Stan had been waiting all right. He was there with three girls from the club and she caught him with his pecker in some twit's ass the second she walked in the door.
She shuddered. The memory still made her furious.
Deserting her haunting past, she selected a short black skirt and shrugged on a white tank. Aligning the hem of her shirt with her skirt, she studied herself in the mirror and turned to check out her ass.
One thing about it, she still had the body. She wheeled around and studied her reflection. She was a little pale, but she expected as much. Dying was hard on a gal's complexion. At least she still looked thirty.
She pursed her lips with another memory. To this day, it still bugged the hell out of her that the twenty-something year old bimbos on her payroll tried to make the press think her problems were stress related. Menopause, hell.
At least she didn't have to worry about going through the change now.
After a twirl around the room she went to her dressing table and brushed her hair. A few hundred strokes and her hair held a silky sheen. She applied some light rose blush and decided a little color was all she needed. A woman without her shoes didn't need makeup and she wanted to look barefoot and appealing to the guest in waiting, perhaps project the girl-next-door look.
She just about made it out of the room when a long slender box caught her eye. “What's this?” she asked aloud, since she was so used to talking to herself when she lived the mundane life as an invisible supernatural.
Heidi removed the cardboard flap and eyed the simple looking piece. A glass funnel-like tube had a screen located over a small drawer, presumably a coal compartment. The glass sides were rounded out to minimize combustion and a wide mouth at the top was trimmed in dark walnut wood.
"Steam Pleasure,” she read.
Why hadn't she seen this gizmo before? She sat on the bed and followed the instructions. A flat surface was required so she scooted over to the side of the mattress and used the nightstand. Her mind was already churning with possibilities.
"Place the two included coals in the bottom of the container. Use the dropper included to drip the desired amount of water over the coals. Wait until the coals heat and secure them with the screen included."
Easy enough. She retrieved a cup of H2O and went back to her instructions.
"You're ready to begin."
"Begin what?” she wondered. Most of Edward's bootie toys were self explanatory. She could probably take a wild guess at this but what did the device do exactly?
She searched for other instructions and when she didn't find them, thought, what the heck? The fellow downstairs was a potential nerd and he and Edward were most likely chatting about whatever companion nerds discussed.
Heidi undressed. The steam pleasure toy stood about two feet tall and Heidi wasn't quite sure where the more comfortable position might be found so she knelt beside the flat base which wasn't an easy task on a narrow nightstand. After she'd hopped on the furniture and prepared the coals, she waited until the glass tubing felt warm to the touch. Then, she parted her legs and hovered over the opening.
"Hmm,” she whimpered almost immediately. “Wow."
The steady heat rose in a spiral pattern from the central portion of the container. She closed her eyes and let the warmth wash over her.
"This is intoxicating,” she whispered, trying not to grip the object between her legs.
"Sweet,” she continued, lowering herself over the gadget. The way the heat and moisture whipped around the glass made her crazy. She gripped the nearby bedpost and tried to keep her balance. She was angled in a perfect position for clit exposure and the heat licked at her pussy.
"Oh my God,” she said softly, wishing she had an extra finger so she could play with herself. On second thought, she didn't need anything more than this.
The generation of steam hit full capacity and the forceful impact of water shot between her legs and clobbered her all at one time, providing a puff of stimulation. “Oh shit!” she screamed, rocking to and fro, gripping the reason for her excitement. “Ah, ah, ah!"
After one orgasm shook her silly, another came in right behind it and then another. Her pussy lips were sensitized. She imagined the sweetest mouth in the world pleasuring her, bringing her to another orgasm, and to her surprise, the only man she pictured was Edward.
A round of applause alerted her to her audience. She opened her eyes and blinked when she noted more than her share of enthusiasm. Two handsome men, both with their hands in front of their cocks, stood inside the bedroom.
"Now I see why you didn't want me to meet her."
Heidi stared at Barron. She rolled her tongue over her bottom lip and twirled her nipples between her fingers and thumbs, feeling her hands roaming over her points but unable to stop. Aroused, all she could think about was fucking one or both of them. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, too. Apparently, her suspicions were right. The more steam she used, the more likely she was to be seen by those who were still among the living.
Edward pursed his lips and tilted his head toward her and then back at Barron. “Heidi, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"What I have to say is for you,” she purred. “Thank you, Edward. Thank you so much for creating such a magnificent little trinket."
"That's not what I meant, Heidi."
"What's wrong, Edward?” Barron asked, stepping closer to Heidi. “You act like you've seen a ghost."
Heidi snickered, but she stopped with the exhibitionism. Poor Edward wouldn't be able to take it if his friend enjoyed her one-woman show. She swung her leg over the wide seal around the steam blower and fell against the bed.
Barron's moist lips parted. “So Heidi, dare I ask what you do for a living?” His hot gaze spilled over her body like drawn butter.
Heidi snatched her clothes from the bed and dressed in front of him. She zipped the sides of her skirt until the material hugged her hips. Then, she slipped her arms through the tiny openings of the barely-there shirt. “You might say I'm rather familiar with the sex industry."
"You don't say,” Barron replied, placing his hands behind his hips. He focused on her breasts before studying her crotch.
Heidi appreciated men like Barron. They were the guys who not only let a gal know they wanted to sample their next meal, but they had a good idea of what to do with a woman once they stuck their fingers in the pudding.
Heidi had past experiences with men like Barron. So the events were a little blurry and her recollection somewhat dated, but history had proven, at least to her, men like Barron knew women like her. They understood what a woman needed, what she wanted and God yeah, what she craved.
Barron took an easy tour of her body and she returned the favor. He wasn't anything like Edward. He wore a ridiculous flat hat with a band around the center, goggle-style sunglasses and a fitted muscle T-shirt. The white sleeveless shirt was considered a wife-beater.
Back in the day, The Love Parlor strictly prohibited guys dressed like Barron from entering their upper scale establishment. Her girls used to love those guys though. The good old boys from Pahrump often picked up her gals for weekend getaways. They were the bad boys who never paid for sex. Heck, her girls would've paid them, had a fee been required.
Come to think of it, even back then Heidi rarely saw a fellow who looked like Barron. His dark hair was neatly trimmed right above the ears and his circle beard suited him. If he would take off the shades, she was betting on dark hooded eyes with a slightly discolored shade under the lower lids.
Maybe she'd just take a look.
She walked over to the bed and removed his glasses, admiring the fact she could reach out and touch another man, particularly one like Barron. He was rough stock, the good stuff real men were made of and he knew it.
He snatched her wrist and pulled her to his lap. “Wanted to check out my eyes, did you?"
They gazed at one another for a moment. Just as suspected. Bad boys never slept so they all had those same damn bedroom eyes.
"I like to see who I'm looking at."
"I'll just bet you do,” he said, gaping at strategic body parts. “Five thousand to one says I know precisely what you're hoping you'll see when you take a closer look at a fellow. Want to take that wager?” He chuckled and then flexed his muscles, snatched his glasses from her fingertips and used both hands to reposition the stylish goggles on his face.
"Don't tempt me, Barron. I've been properly aroused.” She started for the door, but before she got away, he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. She landed on his lap and his hand plopped down on her knee.
"Some friend you are,” she observed.
"You're worried about him?” Barron shot Edward a glance. He bowed his head and nipped her ear. “Edward doesn't care about a piece of pussy, darlin'."
She studied him for a minute. Did she want to slap him now or wait until later? The idea of smacking flesh sent her into a tailspin. It had been decades since she'd had a good spanking. She was tempted to bend over, hike up her skirt and plead for one then.
Barron looked like the kind of guy who didn't mind to get a little kinky. He kept moistening his lips and his fingers made her shiver when he crawled up her inner thigh. “So where'd you and Edward meet?"
"He didn't tell you?"
"No,” Barron responded, suddenly interested in the walk-in closet. “Wait a minute,” he said, releasing her. He strolled across the room. “Well I'll be damned. Is she living here?"
Edward stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Sure looks that way, doesn't it?"
"Man, I apologize. Hell, I thought she was just some whore you brought home to try out your products."
"Thanks,” Heidi said.
His eyes raked over her again. “You walk the walk, baby."
"Yes, and believe me, I can fuck and buck too but that doesn't mean I'm a whore.” Anymore, she added to herself and only after Edward shot her an empty glare.
Barron filled his pockets this time, playing with a handful of what she presumed as either change or keys. Whatever racket he made, he certainly caught her eye and she couldn't help but notice the large bulge there on display. He let his glasses drift down his nose. “Like what you see, do you?"
"I like men, Barron."
He chuckled. Slapping Edward on the back, he said, “You have a live one there, don't you?"
Edward cleared his throat. “I don't know if I'd actually call her a live one."
Barron frowned. “If you say so. Hell, I guess she doesn't move fast enough for those machines you have down there, huh?"
"Want to test that theory?” she challenged him.
"No way,” he declined her offer. “If you think I'm going to watch a toy do a man's job, you have me mixed up with the wrong man.” He gave Edward the thumb.
"Knock it off, Barron,” Edward warned.
"No problem. If she's your woman, I'll try to respect that."
Edward acted nervous. He grumbled something she couldn't make out.
Heidi saw a chance and took it. “Am I your woman, Edward?"
Barron, who'd started to leave, copped a grin. “Yeah, Edward, is she your woman? If you aren't going to lay claims there, I'd like to lay pipe and keep her out all night."
Heidi wrinkled her nose. Guys like Barron looked good enough to eat and then they said the crudest things and a woman choked on the same bone she'd been dying to taste.
"Well?” Barron asked. “Is she or isn't she?"
"I'd like to hear that myself,” Heidi admitted.
"It's complicated,” Edward said. “We haven't known one another that long."
Heidi grated back curse words. She'd been there for over a year, watching over him like a protective lover, enjoying his victories, feeling for him in his disappointments, and there he was acting like he'd only known her for a minute. Then again, she had taken her own sweet time materializing in front of him. She couldn't expect him to feel anything substantial for her. She certainly couldn't expect him to love her.
"I'm waiting, Edward,” she said, taking a seductive step his way, placing her hands on her hips and eyeing his cock like maybe a little sexual stimulation would help him make the verbal confession.
"Fuck, Heidi."
She stared too long, apparently. Taking a deep breath, she went for it. “Now there's a wonderful proposition. What do you say the three of us climb in bed and make the most of our day?"
Barron's jaw dropped. “Is she for real?"
Edward directed him toward the door. “No, Barron. Trust me when I say. Heidi Labeidi is not for real. She's a figment of your imagination and mine."