Infernal Gray Ch 04

"Mom," Sherry Fleming asked one evening over dinner. "What do you think Dad would have thought about the infernals?"

Nicole hesitated. The memory of her husband, Terry, was not exactly a comfortable one, and she had no intention of sharing with her daughter exactly why. The years of sexless marriage, as he claimed he was asexual; his death of a heart attack brought about by "strenuous exercise" in the company of a young woman only a year older than Sherry; those were the highlights. "I guess we have no way of knowing," she said, diplomatically. "More importantly, what do you think?"

Sherry blushed, which told Nicole perhaps more than words would have. "Well," she said, and left it at that.

They grow up so fast, thought Nicole. "Know any personally?" she asked, spearing a slice of chicken and trying to sound casual.

"No," Sherry said. "But one of the girls at school, well."

"You mustn't end sentences with well all the time, instead of saying what you mean, dear."

"Well," Sherry said, trying it as an opener instead. "She apparently knew one very personally, if you know what I mean."

Nicole nodded. "I think I do," she said, forcing a smile. The fact was that she wouldn't mind knowing a demon very personally herself. Her sex drive had always outstripped Terry's, or that's what she'd always thought, and she hadn't been exactly faithful. Like a lot of women, the strong, virile demons held a fascination for her. She'd even gone to Inferno, once, but she'd been turned away. Too old, perhaps, even though she thought she still looked quite nice at forty-two, and could get heads to swivel if she dressed with that intention. She'd heard the word "milf" whispered around her a few times. She might be older than most of the hotties that had been in the line, but she still had her confidence.

"It just makes me curious, that's all. This girl - well, she was just raving about the guy."

"That seems to track with what you read in the papers," Nicole said.

"The papers."

"Well, the websites."

"Saying papers makes you sound old, Mom."

"Thanks honey."

"Oops. Sorry. Well, actually, it's probably good for you to know. Think of it like all the times you told me I wasn't saying something quite right."

Nicole laughed. "I'm definitely not old enough for you to start parenting me. Give it another thirty or forty years."

"But I'll be ancient, then!" Sherry exclaimed.

Letting that be, Nicole let the conversation lapse into a comfortable silence. It was good having Sherry back home for the summer, especially as she'd gotten a good internship with the National Gallery. The place had been lonely with her off in Rhode Island, at college. Lonelier still, as much as Nicole hated to admit it, without Terry. Terry may have been a jerk, but he was a familiar irritation. Now she had no one.

"So," said Sherry, ten minutes later. "I think I'm going to get dressed up and go out tonight. Don't wait up for me!"

Nicole's eyes narrowed. "Out where?"

"Just out, Mom. Don't be a helicopter parent."

"Hmm," Nicole said. The two conversations might be unconnected, but then again, they might not be. She watched as Sherry excused herself and ran upstairs to change.

Normally, Nicole would go right to cleaning up, but she didn't do that. She hurried to her office and did a quick search. She probably was being ridiculous. Her daughter was probably not especially innocent after two years away at college, and almost certainly not a virgin. She took after her mother in lots of ways, and a healthy libido was probably one of them. Not that Nicole's libido had always resulted in healthy behavior, but that was another thing. With Terry, she had done the best she knew at the time, even if twenty-twenty hindsight gave her some regrets.

Nicole clicked a bookmark, entered a password, and ended up on the Demon Trackers website, infamous because it was used by both stalkers of the lecherous sort, and anti-demon protestors.

There he was. Grayson Harding, her former lover. He'd been wholly human when she'd known him, of course. Human, young, impressionable, and very good in bed. Presumably the change had made him even better. Nicole had almost reached out to him when Terry died and she was "free" but she saw that he'd married, and so she resisted. She'd thought of it again, when she'd discovered he'd become an infernal, because infernals were not monogamous. All the articles she'd read were quite certain about that. But she'd managed to keep away, so far, because she guessed that he hated her.

She'd lied to him, after all. Told him she wasn't married, like Terry had insisted she do. Told him Terry didn't know, when he found out, because Terry didn't care whether she fucked around but he liked to know she had to sneak around to do it. It made him feel secure in their fucked-up marriage, and it protected him from being called a cuckold by his friends.

But Gray was a good man. Was what she was thinking crazy? Probably. But if there was a chance it would protect her daughter, she had to take it. It seemed unlikely that all demons were good men.

His demon name was "Ur."

She looked up a few other things. The timing was right, for what she suspected. Sherry would make it there maybe ten minutes early.

She heard Sherry on the steps, with the unmistakable rhythm of high heels, and she hurried out of the room. She was not surprised to see her daughter in a very short, very tight dress that showed a bit of cleavage. Nor could she judge Sherry. She had worn a few outfits like it herself. But it was further evidence for what she suspected.

"Going to Inferno?" Nicole asked, as mildly as she could.

"Um. Well," Sherry said.

"I'm not judging," Nicole said. All those years of stepping out on Terry had cost her in terms of being honest with her daughter, and she knew that being honest was the way to get frankness in return. "I tried going there myself, half a year ago. They, um, turned me away, I'm afraid, so there's no exciting story to pump me for."

Sherry got a look on her face. "You could come with me, Mom. I bet we'd get in if we're together."

Nicole blinked. Maybe they would, at that, but it was a thought that would take more than a little adjusting to. Besides, it would take her time to change, and then they wouldn't be there by opening, which would cut into Sherry's chances. Which maybe was exactly what Nicole should want, but somehow it seemed hypocritical. "No, dear, not this time, I'd make you late and I'd cramp your style. Maybe some other time. But forgive me if I'm a little concerned about my baby girl."

"Oh, Mom," Sherry said.

"I'm sure most demons are good people. But I can't help but worry that some aren't, and they do - well, they're fascinating, as you said. So, if you're going to go, um, hook up with a demon, I want you to find someone who will treat you well."

"Oh," Sherry said, looking a little shocked that her mother had spoken so calmly about her "hooking up." "Um, thanks?"

Nicole realized that her idea would never work. She couldn't set Sherry up, at least not by telling her to look for a particular guy. She'd have questions Nicole wouldn't want to answer, and besides, what twenty year old woman wants to date the man her Mom recommends as safe? And reverse psychology wouldn't work, either. If she warned Sherry away, Sherry would stay away.

"Just use good judgment, dear. And know that if you get in over your head, I'll drive any distance to help, and I'm only a phone call away."

"Aww! Thanks Mom!" Sherry headed toward the door, gave Nicole a kiss on the cheek. "You're the best. Even if you are psychic. I can't believe you figured out where I was going! Or that you're not all mad about it. See you in the morning!"

Nicole stared after her and sighed. Did she really want her daughter dating her ex-boyfriend? Their history would be bound to come out eventually. That might lead to more honesty, more frankness - or it might be a disaster.

She raced to the door. "Are you on birth control?" she yelled at her daughter, who was practically to her car, which was parked on the street.

"Yes, Mom!" Sherry shouted. "Now the whole neighborhood knows!"

I should have gone with her, Nicole thought. Dammit. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

She pulled out her phone, and called a familiar number that she hadn't called in ten years.

Gray was relaxing after a hard but satisfying day of painting when the phone buzzed. Without missing a beat on the blowjob she was giving him, Model grabbed the phone from the coffee table and handed it to him. He'd never deleted the contact, so it showed, "Nicole."

"What the fuck?" he asked.

Model just kept bobbing her head, but she did widen her eyes and look a question at him.

He was too curious not to answer, even though he was tempted to just block it. He swiped the green circle and said, "Yeah? Butt dial?"

"No, Gray. I'm sorry, but please listen."

"I'm married now," he told her. And getting a blowjob from my slave, while my wife reads a book in the next room over. But he didn't say that part. Better for "I'm married" to be a clear "not available," no matter how available Nicole had been while married.

"Yes. I know. This is about Sherry."

Sherry. It took him a moment to remember who Sherry was. Nicole's daughter. The reason she wouldn't leave her husband. It was unfair to judge the girl on that, but that was what he'd been given in the end. He probably shouldn't have wanted Nicole to leave her husband for him, anyway, but he'd been infatuated at the time. "What about Sherry?"

"She's going to Inferno tonight."

"And you want to warn me away? Wait, how did you know that --"

"Never mind that. And no, I'm not warning you away. She's an adult, she knows what she wants. I want you to take care of her. As a favor - no, I know you don't owe me any favors. As - well."

That habit, ending sentences in the middle when she got flustered, was familiar. "I was planning to stay in."

"I've seen your recent work, Gray. It's amazing."

Gray wondered at the change of subject, and he was wary. "Uh, thanks. Working hard."

"Sherry would make an amazing model."

"You want me to paint your daughter. Naked."

"I want to keep her safe. I know you're good people. If you can honestly tell me that she'd be perfectly fine with anyone there, then I'll drop it."

Yeah, no. The "I'll drop it" sounded like she thought that she could threaten to badger him, and he wasn't going to play that game with her. "You'll drop it anyway, Nicole, I'm not going to let you harass me into doing anything." He hung up, and hit block. He wasn't going to do Nicole any favors.

Model increased the pace, doing that little thing she did with her tongue, her lips a sliding vacuum seal around his shaft. He gave her the reward she was looking for, spraying his hot spunk, loaded with infernal hormones, down her throat. It was enough to make the athletic twenty-five year old orgasm herself, and he never got tired of watching that.

A few minutes later, he sighed. "We're going to Inferno, I guess," he said.

"Yes, Master," Model said. "You wish to draw me

en flagrante

, again?"

Painting of young ladies having sex with demons had become a huge money maker for him. And Model was his favorite model. It only bothered him a little that meant she had to have sex with

other

demons in order that he could capture her in action. He knew who she belonged to.

The words Property of Grayson Harding were, after all, engraved on the blue steel collar permanently affixed around her neck.

"Betty," he called. "I'm going to Inferno."

Betty came out. "Two girls not enough for you?" she teased. "Well, have fun."

"You could come with," he said.

"Hmm," she said. And then, "Well, what the hell. Sure. What's the dress code?"

"Model, help Betty find something, and then get dressed yourself."

"Yes, Master," said Model, formerly known as Sara. She was naked except for the collar, as usual around the house, and as she stood and stretched the athleticism of her body was obvious.

Gray changed into his demon form, and pulled on some jeans. Jeans, and shirtless, would do fine for him at Inferno. He looked at his phone, and thought of telling Nicole that he was going to go, but decided against it. He didn't owe Nicole peace of mind, any more than it was his responsibility to look after young women, who generally went to Inferno knowing exactly what they were looking for. But it was one thing to feel that way in the abstract, another when it came to someone specific, even if he'd never seen Sherry in the flesh.

It wouldn't be too hard to just mention that he knew her, and tell the other demons to treat her well. That would be enough. There were too many nubile and willing babes at Inferno for a demon to fixate on any one girl, and besides, most of them that he knew there seemed like good people. Of course he didn't know everyone. He wouldn't say "hands off." Just treat her right.

He wished he could say that all demons were upstanding members of society, in their own infernal way, but they could be tempted like anyone else.

Hell, maybe he'd draw her. A nice evening drawing seemed like a fine idea.

The clack of heels on the stairs heralded that the girls were back. Betty came down wearing a simple little black dress, conservative by Inferno standards, but still quite sexy on her slim figure. Model wore a schoolgirl skirt and a white shirt with a black bra visible beneath, and of course the collar. That never came off. Gray took a moment to admire them both.

"So why the sudden desire to go to the demon sex club?" Betty asked.

"Uh, yeah. I told you about Nicole."

Betty chuckled. "A few times. The lying bitch."

Well, Betty remembered who he was talking about, and it wasn't surprising that was her takeaway. He'd thought the same enough times. "Her daughter is going to be at the club. She asked me to look after her."

Betty raised her eyebrows. "And when she calls, you come running? Still?"

Gray shrugged. "If you were in my position, wouldn't you feel responsible if anything happened to her?"

Betty frowned. "I suppose." And then she got a little glimmer of amusement in her eyes, and she smiled. "And I also suppose if there wasn't a part of you that wanted to go, you'd still say no. Let's go. Should be interesting."

By the time they got there, the line was mostly gone, with only a few people still hanging outside the door. None of the people still outside were likely to get in unless someone left early, and they knew it. Gray parked the car in the back lot. The front entrance was for paying customers, and Inferno had been able to increase the rates several times. Getting in wasn't cheap. The back entrance was for demons and those who accompanied them.

It was locked, but Gray had a key.

The little back room was deserted, because the party was already in full swing.

"How little do you want me wearing?" Model asked.

Gray started to say she could wear whatever she wanted to, but he knew that answer would disappoint Model, although she'd try to hide it. "Nothing at all," he told her.

She beamed and started stripping.

Betty caught his eye, and he smiled. "You can be however you're comfortable," he told her.

"I think I'll keep my clothes on," she said.

"I figured."

Once Model was naked, they walked on through to the club. As usual, he carried a big drawing pad, and had pencils and erasers in a small bag on his hip. Gray and Model had been a few times, but he tried to see it through Betty's eyes. The dim light made it hard to see very far, and the faintly reddish tone made everyone look a little demonic, although you could still tell the infernals from their admirers, even without the evidence of horns and tails. The music was loud, pounding, although there were clubs where it was louder.

Most of the women were street legal, but there were a lot of bare breasts and more on display. On the raised dance floor, a dark-skinned woman was bent over a rail and being pounded from behind by a large demon. Several demons danced with multiple scantily clad beauties. Others mingled down below, generally surrounded by plenty of women. Off to the side, a few men knelt in front of a tall, red, demonic goddess of a woman.

"What's she look like?" Betty asked.

Gray shrugged.

"Then how are we going to find her?"

"We have a name," Model said. "I'll go talk to the bouncer, and get a description."

"The bouncer's outside, and you're naked," Betty pointed out. "I'll go talk to the bouncer."

"He wouldn't tell you," Gray said, reasonably. "I'll go talk to him."

But he didn't have to. As he made his way across the dance floor, he spotted a young lady who had to be her. Her little black dress was nothing astounding, but her features startled him, and so did the long hair, visibly auburn even in the odd lighting that made everyone's hair look a little reddish. She had Nicole's large chest, too. She was unmistakably Nicole's daughter, and she was hanging back, checking out the place rather than diving into the middle.

He walked over toward her.

"The door is that way," Betty said.

"I know," Gray said. He arrived in front of the young woman, who looked up at him with a mixture of desire and shyness in her eyes. She met his gaze as if forcing herself to do so, but then she straightened and pushed her chest out a little.

"Hello there," Gray said. "New to Inferno?"

"Yes. First time."

"I'm Ur," he said. Had Nicole ever mentioned someone named Gray to Sherry? He didn't want to think about the fact he'd been such a secret. "This is Betty. And Model."

"Sherry," said the girl, confirming his guess. She looked at Model, taking her in her nakedness. "Model is your slave?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Wow," Sherry said. "This is all so real. And you, you're really a - really an infernal, and you're talking to me." Her voice, too, reminded him of Nicole, the way she'd been when he first met her, before he found out about the husband and the lies.

"I am actually talking to you," Gray said, not actually sure what to say.

"Oh my god, this is so exciting!" Sherry said.

"What did you come to Inferno for, Sherry?" Gray asked.

"Well," Sherry said, and even under the red lights Gray could tell she was blushing. "I'd heard, well, I imagine everyone's heard, I mean, that sex with demons is just supposed to be amazing. I mean infernals! Crap!"

"It's okay, Sherry. We're all pretty used to it, and most of us don't get too bent about the name."

"It's true, by the way," Model said. "Sex with infernals is absolutely out of this world. I can't imagine having sex with a human man anymore. Although of course if my master ordered me to, I would."

Sherry looked over at Betty. "And how do you fit in?"

Betty laughed. "Don't mind me, I'm just his wife."

"His wife?" Sherry said, as if this were a new and novel concept.

"We were married before the change. And here we still are." Betty chuckled. "And of course I love the amazing sex."

"Of course," Sherry nodded.

Gray realized he didn't have a plan. Certainly spending the whole night fucking Sherry wasn't what he'd intended, although it was starting to tempt him. He wondered if Nicole would consider that protecting her, or not. Not that he had to do what Nicole wanted. Sherry may not have answered his question directly about what she wanted, but she'd come awful close, and he definitely didn't owe it to Nicole to stop her from getting some hot demon sex. In fact, it would mean to do so.

But there was a part of him that loved the idea of letting Nicole know he fucked her daughter, and he didn't trust it.

He wanted to fuck her.

He wanted to paint her.

"Don't mind me," Betty said. "He's not exclusive. I watch him have sex with Model all the time."