Phil collapsed on to his bed, mentally exhausted. They’d gone over all the research data on succubae and the old notes from the original investigation, then attempted to plan their next course of action. Phil wasn’t thrilled with the plan they’d come up with, but it made sense, so he didn’t really have any objections beyond it making him uncomfortable. He was so mentally drained that he’d forgotten one very important piece of information that normally would’ve sent all thoughts to the deepest recesses of his mind.

A soft knock at his door followed by a nervous “Phil?” immediately brought that information to light like a Broadway billboard. Reese! He quickly jumped off his bed and made his way to his door, barely keeping himself from running. Opening the door, he greeted the blonde with a huge grin, which locked on his face as his brain melted at the sight of her.

She stood there, fingers nervously playing with each other, her cheeks a deep crimson as she looked away to the side. “M-may I come in?”

“Hhhh… oh! Yes, of course. Please come in,” he said, gathering his wits enough to regain the ability to speak. A small smile played at her lips at his reaction as she slid past him. Closing the door, he turned and took in the vision before him. She stood there, still not making eye contact, her hands now behind her back. The blue lace baby-doll top, see-through below her chest, perfectly contrasted with her light, almost pale, skin. It swished silently as she nervously rocked her shoulders back and forth.

“Well?” she asked. “What do you think?”

“Beautiful,” he breathed. “I mean, you’re always beautiful, but… wow.” He suddenly felt way out of his league as he gaped at the blonde beauty before him, clad as he was in an old t-shirt and comfortable grey sweats. She smiled and pulled her blonde hair over her shoulder, nervously stroking it with both hands.

“So, um… should we go to bed? It’s late, after all…” she said softly.

Phil was grateful he’d already showered for the evening and moved perhaps a touch too eagerly at her suggestion. “Uh, yeah! Yeah, let’s do that. Go ahead, I’ll get the lights.”

She giggled at his reaction, then turned towards the bed, giving him a view of her shapely ass, a blue T standing out sharply from her white skin. Feeling his blood rapidly rushing south, Phil waited until she had crawled onto the bed and quickly reached for the light switch, plunging the room into darkness. He gave his eyes a couple seconds to adjust, then made his way over to the other side of the king size and crawled under the sheets. They lay facing each other, barely visible in the darkness.

He felt her hand reach for his under the sheets, and when she found it she pulled it to her waist. Taking the hint, he ran his hand over her waist to the small of her back and pulled her towards him, the feel of her skin under the lingerie exquisite. He felt her hands slide under his shirt, tracing the new muscles Britt had helped him earn.

“I remember thinking you’d be kind of cute if you put in a little effort,” she said.

“When did you say that? I remember you saying I had pretty eyes, but it was a shame about the rest of me,” he chuckled.

“When Britt rescued you from Chuck. You were unconscious in this bed. Rose said I was a sucker for hard luck cases.” Phil saw her smile.

“You know Britt was the reason I was unconscious, right? Beat me to a pulp after she pressed her boobs into my face.”

Reese chuckled. “And now she can’t wait for you to get your hands on them. She’s changed. We’ve all changed, and it’s thanks to you. We owe you so much.” She shifted closer on the pillow and kissed him.

“I’d consider us even, actually,” he said when they broke apart. “It’s thanks to all of you that I’m no longer the loner I was. You saved me in more ways than one.” This time, for the first time that he could remember, Phil initiated the kiss. The room went silent as they lost themselves in each other. Their hands explored each other’s backs as they pulled themselves tightly together. Reese draped a leg over his as he reached down and filled his hand with one of her ass cheeks.

She moaned into his mouth as she felt his manhood press between her legs, still tightly trapped by his sweats. She rubbed herself on it, their breathing increasing in intensity as they pushed against each other, their tongues wrestling for dominance. Reaching between them, she slid her hand down his stomach and under his waistband as he moved his hand up under her top to cup her breast. As their fingers came in contact with what they were searching for, Reese suddenly had a flashback, remembering the last time someone gripped her in such a way, and the last time she’d wrapped her hand around a man.

A sob escaped her as she suddenly pushed Phil away, keeping him at arm’s length. Realizing what she’d done, she looked more surprised than he did.

“I’m sorry,” she said as tears started collecting on the pillow. “I’m so sorry! I thought… I want to… but…”

Naturally Phil was disappointed, but MB had already warned him this might happen, so he wasn’t completely surprised. Allowing her to keep her distance, he took one of the hands she had on his chest and covered it with his own.

“It’s ok,” he said softly. “If you’re not ready, we don’t have to. I’m happy enough just being near you.” He wasn’t sure if she heard him, however. She just kept apologizing over and over as she wept into the pillow. They lay there unmoving, his hand on hers. Eventually she calmed down enough to look at him again, and she met his eyes. Those kind, gorgeous eyes of his, filled with worry and love. She knew he wouldn’t rush her. That he’d wait as long as she needed him to. Everything he did, and didn’t do, confirmed her feelings for him weren’t wrong. She closed the gap between them again, slowly.

“Can you just… hold me?” she asked quietly. Without saying a word, he wrapped his arm around her, holding her close. She slid down the bed a little and pulled his other arm over to use as a pillow, burying her face in his chest, her arms pulled up between them against her chest, his shirt gripped tightly in her hands. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to feel protected in his arms. No, he would never hurt her. Not intentionally. She knew that. He would never force her to anything she didn’t want to do. She still cried though. She cried for being sorry that she couldn’t give him what he wanted yet, and she cried because of the memories that had robbed her of what she’d wanted this evening.

Phil never said a word. Just held her close, his hand rubbing her back as she cried herself to sleep. He silently vowed to protect her for as long as she’d have him. All of them. Yes, they had their own strengths and traits to call upon, and he was the weakest in the group. Even knowing that, he still promised that he’d do his best to shield them from this kind of pain. After a lifetime of avoiding everyone, he’d finally found something to protect, and it would take all the demons of hell to rip them apart. He pressed his face into Reese’s hair and kissed the top of her head, only allowing himself to sleep when he was certain she was.

*

“So, it was a no go last night?” Britt asked, taking a sip of her light beer.

Reese hung her head over her water. “No go. We were so close, and then… I couldn’t. I remembered the last time and…”

“And he was sweet and compassionate and told you it was okay and held you tight the rest of the night?”

“Yeah,” Reese answered, a wistful look on her face. “It makes me want him even more now, but I know the same thing will happen again. Ugh! And he was so ready too! I know it would’ve been amazing!”

Britt smiled and rubbed her friend’s back. “Don’t worry. You know he’ll wait and make it worth it.” She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “So, just how ready was he?”

Despite her rolling emotions, Reese smirked at her friend. “It was like he was smuggling an energy drink down there.”

Britt raised an eyebrow. “An energy drink?”

“I’m not talkin’ Red Bull, babe.”

Britt leaned back in her chair and observed Phil sitting by himself at the bar, also nursing a light beer. “Really? Skinny guy like that? Never would’ve guessed it.”

“Well, if all goes well, you’ll find out for yourself tonight. It’s your turn, after all. Don’t look at me like that. Don’t hold back on my account.”

“What happened to the laws of rock, paper, scissors?”

Reese rolled her eyes. “If we’re going to get technical, we said ‘sleep’ with him. We never specified if it was actual ‘sleep’ or ‘fucking.’ I had my night. Now it’s your turn. Go nuts, hun.”

Britt quickly took another pull from her bottle, trying to ignore her own cheeks turning pink.

“Hey, ladies, are we really sure this is a good idea? Using me as bait like this?”

The two women looked up at Phil’s reflection in the mirror behind the bar and caught him watching them as his voice came in through the hidden ear pieces the team wore.

“Shit. You think he heard us? Are we on vox?” asked Reese, as she fought the urge to check her mic pack.

“No,” said Britt, giving the reflection a shy smile in case anyone was watching. “His face would be bright red if he had.” She keyed her hidden microphone. “It’ll be fine. You’ve got the three of us watching out for you. Rose is flirting with the bartender a few seats to your right, drawing attention away from you in case the target is looking for the lonely type. Right now, you’re a guy that fits right into her strike zone from what we’ve been able to figure out. Right age range, healthy physical build, attractive… anyway, if she comes looking tonight, you’ll be a prime target for her.” She smiled to herself when she saw him blush a little at her comment about being attractive.

“Alright, if you guys say so. I trust your judgement. Oh, and Britt? You look amazing in that dress. Red really is your color, you know that?”

She choked on her beer, causing a few heads to turn her direction, including the bartender’s and Rose’s. The bartender quickly made his way from behind the bar to make sure she was alright, leaving Rose alone.

“Smooth, girlfriend. And I am not flirting with him. Just plugging him for information. Nothing too interesting happens around here apparently, but I guess Phil already knew that since it’s his old watering hole.”

“That’s why I liked it. Quiet and boring,” replied Phil.

“Well, aside from Reese’s ‘gas explosion’ a few months ago and the attempted murder a couple months after that.”

“Attempted murder?” Reese asked, pretending she was reading something on her phone while the bartender made sure Britt was alright, who was still red in the face from Phil’s compliment.

“Don’t tell me…” started Phil.

“Probably exactly what you’re thinking, if what you said about your old friend is true. The old bouncer here went ballistic one night and tried choke some blond guy. Kept yelling something about his wife leaving him and it was the blond’s fault. Last the bartender heard, the bouncer had skipped town after posting bond and the blond hasn’t been seen or heard from since.”

Phil shook his head. He figured Chuck had come back to the bar after that. It was his favorite hunting spot for some reason. Then again, it was his first time scoring one half of a married couple that worked here, so that was a factor he hadn’t taken into consideration. Clearly it backfired on him. A worrying thought crossed his mind.

“Any word on what happened to Tina. Uh, I mean the bouncer’s wife?” Raised eyebrows greeted his reflection, but the blonde and the red head didn’t say anything. Glancing at the other end of the mirror, he saw Rose smile into her drink.

“I knew you’d ask. She’s fine, actually. Apparently, she just started working here again now that her ex is on the run.” He saw her check the time on her watch. “In fact, she should be starting her shift soon.”

“Wait, isn’t that a bad thing? She knows me. What if she blows my cover?”

“The cover that you’re a lonely man that would love to get any piece of ass you can get, but are afraid of women so you drink by yourself at the bar? Isn’t that what she knew you as before?” asked Reese, smirking at his reflection.

Phil was about to retort to that, but realized she was right. He chuckled to himself. If anything, Tina would only help him solidify his cover. “Touché,” he said, chuckling again into his mic as he took a long swig.

“Phil!?” came an astounded voice. As if on cue, Tina appeared behind him in his reflection. He swung around on his stool and gave her a small smile, trying to emulate the man he used to be when she’d known him. It was harder than he thought it’d be, especially given how radiant Tina looked now. Where he remembered a pretty, but tired looking woman now stood a virtual goddess. Gone were the baggy bar t-shirt and jeans she used to wear, replaced by a low cut shirt that showed off an impressive amount of cleavage and a skirt that displayed a set of amazingly toned legs. Her hair wasn’t hanging limp over her shoulders, but was pulled into a high ponytail, allowing one to follow the curve of her neck and expanse of skin from her ear to her chest. What had changed the most, however, was her smile. She now had a smile that would launch a thousand ships. Had Chuck really had that much of an effect on her?

He heard a couple throats clear in his earpiece, and a chuckle. Forcing his eyes to cease his tour, he smiled at her again. Fortunately, since she remembered him being an awkward sort of guy, she didn’t think his behavior odd at all.

“H-hey, Tina. Long time no see. Y-you look good,” he tried to stammer out. He hadn’t realized he’d changed that much in four months. This was harder than he imagined.

“Aww! Thank you, babe!” she leaned in and gave him a tight hug, her chest pushing into his.

So firm, he thought to himself, pretending not to see the evil gazes levelled at him from the corner table. Outwardly, he hesitantly returned the hug. Tina pulled back, but kept her hands on his shoulders, giving them a couple test squeezes. Her eyebrows rose a bit as her hands trailed down his arms to squeeze at his biceps. Phil saw Reese grab at Britt’s arm as she started to rise from her seat, fire in her eyes. He could almost see the flames leaping off the woman. Hoping to avoid needless violence, he shrugged out of Tina’s grip, this time genuinely feeling awkward at the attention. She seemed to realize what she’d done.

“Oh! I’m sorry. You just seem so… different. Have you been working out? Where’ve you been? You disappeared the night of the explosion and no one’s seen you since.”

“Um, well, Chuck and I had a falling out. I’ve been keeping to myself. You haven’t seen him around lately, have you?”

“Chuck? Oh, wow. There’s someone I haven’t thought about in months.” She shook her head. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen him since that night either. Good riddance if you ask me though. I never liked that guy. He always creeped me out.”

“Don’t bring it up, Phil!” Reese said into his ear. “She doesn’t remember their hookup because he didn’t want her to. Incubus magic.”

“Yeah,” he said instead. “I started realize he wasn’t a good guy too. Didn’t like the way he treated one of my friends. We got into a fight and he left.” Not entirely a lie, he told himself. To his surprise, Tina reached up and cupped his cheek.

“I always knew there was a sweetheart hidden underneath that shy personality.”

Was she always this touchy feely? He tried to remember. Shoulder pats when tipped well. One armed hugs to customers she liked a bit more than others. That was the extent of it, really. Glancing over Tina’s shoulder he saw it was Reese’s turn to be restrained as Britt slapped a hand on her shoulder to pull her back into her seat. Rose was giggling into the mic again. You don’t have to broadcast that, you evil woman! Nice one, my ass.

“Anyway,” Tina said, letting her arm drop. “It’s great to see you again. Let’s catch up sometime. A lot has changed for both of us in a few months, and we should compare notes.” Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed his phone off the bar, unlocked it quickly by holding it up to his face, then quickly messed with something on his screen. Almost immediately a chime sounded in the small handbag she had placed on the bar. “There. Now we have each other’s numbers. Don’t be a stranger, ok? Oh! Are you going to be here for a bit? My friend is coming tonight, and I’d like to introduce you.”

Still reeling from how quickly she’d moved with his phone, he just nodded dumbly.

“Great!” she said, smiling brightly. “I gotta get to work now, but I’ll be back to visit.” She darted in and planted a kiss on his cheek before disappearing through the swinging door next to the bar. Phil snapped back in his seat, practically feeling slaps from the glares he was getting from a certain table. Slowly rotating back around and ignoring the pinpoint pain he now felt between his shoulder blades, he took a very long pull from his beer, upending the bottle before signaling for another one. After paying the bartender, he slunk in on himself to mask the desperate pleading he was about to do.

“You gotta believe me, girls. I’m just as surprised as you are!” he whispered into his mic. “She’s nothing like she was the last time I saw her!”

“I’m not surprised,” came Rose’s voice. “Remember what I said earlier? She left her husband, and he’s long gone on the run.”

“And?” Phil hesitantly asked, confident that whatever she was about to say was only going to make things worse. She didn’t disappoint.

“She’s newly divorced and free to explore her options again. Whether the breakup was real or instigated by Chuck’s poking around in her, she’s still a newly single woman. She’s rebounding, and she just made a very public display that she’s picked her target for tonight.”

The color drained from Phil’s face. You evil, evil woman! Britt is going to turn me into a pretzel later! “Uh…” was what he said out loud.

“Hmmph. Well, at least she’s got taste,” muttered Britt. “But if you think she’s getting a taste before we do, you’ve got another think coming, buddy!”

“I thought it was ‘you’ve got another thing coming?’” said Reese.

“That doesn’t even make sense. He’s supposed to rethink it, not rething it. Don’t you raise your eyebrow at me! It’s not my fault language standards in this country have fallen so far.”

“It’s not that, I just didn’t think you’d be the one complaining about it.”

“What? I’m not just a pretty face and muscle you know. I read!”

“Uh, ladies, I’m still trying to figure out the before part of that sentence.”

He never got his answer, however. Tina walked out from the back, still dressed sexy, this time with a nametag on. She gave him a flirty smile, then her eyes lit up and she quickly walked passed him.

“Rachel! You made it.”

Phil turned to see the most staggeringly beautiful woman he’s ever seen in his life. Probably the most beautiful woman anyone in the bar had ever seen, considering all eyes were on her. All of them, including Phil’s team. Easily six feet tall with long silky black hair, almond shaped eyes with purple irises were the highlight of her almost too perfectly proportioned face. If Phil had the skill to draw his ideal woman, she is what he would’ve drawn. The cool Asian beauty radiated a sultriness that permeated the room and stabbed into Phil like a hot poker to the chest.

“Rache! Come here. I want you to meet a friend of mine.” Tina bounced over next to Phil, however he failed to notice as the tall woman sauntered over in her wake. His eyes were only for the raven haired beauty. “This is Phil,” Tina introduced. “Phil, this is my best friend, Rachel.”

Rachel’s eyes roamed up and down his body as she approached. She leaned in close and looked deeply into his eyes.

“He looks positively delicious, Tina,” the woman purred, a southern accent adding a pleasant lilt to her voice. “Would you be willing to share?” It was the last thing Phil remembered hearing clearly before the woman’s eyes took on a purple glow.