Small Victories Read online

  SMALL VICTORIES

  By

  Elliott Kay

  Copyright 2020 Elliott Kay

  Cover Illustration Copyright 2020 Julie Dillon

  juliedillonart.com

  Cover Design Copyright 2020 Lee Moyer

  leemoyer.com

  Kindle Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Also by Elliott Kay:

  Good Intentions

  Natural Consequences

  Days of High Adventure (related)

  Life In Shadows

  Personal Demons

  Past Due

  Poor Man’s Fight

  Rich Man’s War

  Dead Man’s Debt

  No Medals for Secrets

  Last Man Out

  Wandering Monsters Series:

  Run Like Hell

  Nowhere to Run

  Contents

  Also by Elliott Kay

  Warning

  Good Intentions: Don’t Make It Weird

  Live Like This

  Lifestyle Changes

  Rough Day

  Minor Errands

  Secret Shoppers

  Date Night

  This Year, I’m Thankful For…

  Good Neighbors

  Wandering Monsters: Side Quest

  Wandering Monsters: Overhead

  Poor Man’s Fight: Grunt Work

  Prisoners

  Stress Management

  Priorities

  Odd Jobs

  Room and Board

  About the Author

  Warning

  SMALL VICTORIES contains stories from the series Good Intentions, Wandering Monsters, and Poor Man’s Fight. Collectively they include graphic sex, explicit violence, blasphemy, more graphic sex, rampant profanity, a homeowners association, polyamory, perfidy, fraternization, mushy conversations, toxic workplace conditions, poor leadership, morale issues, destruction of private property, fantasy depictions of demonic and divine beings bearing little or no resemblance to established religious canon, victim blaming, ambitious neighbors, sex in public, sex in private, sex while trespassing, kitchen sex, dressing room sex, indecent acts in a condominium listed for sale, mugging, stabbing, beating, shooting, impaling, defenestration, mutilated corpses, banditry, militarism, interrogations, false identification, low-gravity combat, nausea, vomiting, asphyxiation, teasing, lingerie, witchcraft, spacecraft, boarding actions, butter theft, police, homelessness, dangerous misuse of gym equipment, disrespect for vampires, breaking and entering, evasion of student visa restrictions, falsified dormitory records, phone calls of questionable timing, interstellar warfare, murder, assault, mistrust, harsh words, peer pressure, immolation, cinema criticism, abuse of authority, awkward conversations with mom, and alien drug mushrooms of questionable sentience in a refrigerator.

  Good Intentions: Don’t Make It Weird

  The night after Good Intentions

  "She’s probably halfway between you and me. Maybe closer to me than you." Michelle stuck her fork in her food, but didn’t lift or cut. She was still too preoccupied by the conversation. Her eyes narrowed, looking across their dining table. "Is she closer to me?"

  "Mom," said Alex.

  "She’s not the same age I am, is she? Please tell me we’re not the same age."

  "Mom."

  "I mean it wouldn’t be my first guess, but it’s possible. We only met once. It was late and I had been drinking. And you had been shot."

  "I feel like I’m getting pretty good at piccata," said Alex. "Had it ready with both side dishes right when you came home from work."

  It was true enough. Michelle hadn’t changed clothes from the office or let down her blonde hair before they sat down. It was also an obvious attempt to change the subject. Her eyes narrowed further. Her voice fell in a characteristic show of suspicion. "Why are you so concerned with timing dinner?"

  Alex sat back in his chair. His breath carried silent, exasperated laughter. "Because I hope I can impress a girl someday, Mom. You think I’ve got a shot if I ever meet someone?"

  "Tell me you’re not dating someone as old as your mother."

  "She’s not the same age as you. And you’re not even old."

  Her gaze held until she tried the chicken. "It’s good."

  "Thank you."

  "Telling me I’m not old is a good line, too. You even said it like you mean it."

  "Yeah, well, I’ve gotten new perspective on age," Alex muttered to his plate.

  "Oh, so she is closer to my age than yours."

  Alex rubbed his eyes. "Oh my god."

  The sounds of silverware on her plate replaced her questions. At least she was eating. "I’m not saying I disapprove," she said.

  "You’re not?" He dared to reach for his fork.

  "No. Disapproving is what old people do. I don’t want to be like that."

  "All the other kids always knew I had the cool mom."

  "Uh-huh." She sipped her wine, looked at it, and set it down again. "I didn’t seem drunk that night, did I?"

  "No," he scoffed.

  "You’re sure? I didn’t think I was drunk but it sneaks up on you."

  "Mom, you weren’t drunk." Then he rolled his eyes. "I didn’t think so. Although I had the whole getting shot thing to distract me."

  "I’m sure that impressed your girlfriend as much as meeting your drunk mother freaked out in a hospital."

  "I tried to handle the hospital stuff without calling you."

  "Do you have the new insurance card in your wallet now?" asked Michelle.

  "Yeah, Mom," Alex sighed. She was good about treating him like an adult. He felt like any mistake she caught could undermine that by default.

  "Did she say anything about it?"

  "That night was kind of crazy. We both had a lot to say."

  "No, I mean about meeting me, silly," said Michelle.

  "She said you obviously love me a lot. You were being a protective mom, like you should. Said she can tell we’re close and that’s good." Alex shrugged. "She said you’re really pretty." It came out of his mouth in a half-frown. He didn’t mind the truth of it so much as the awkward details behind the topic.

  "Huh. Well." She didn’t quite blush, but the glance down at her plate seemed somewhere close to it on the reaction spectrum. "If this is going to go on, I’d like to meet her again in better circumstances. Maybe lunch or dinner."

  "Sure. That’ll be fine. I didn’t want to hide her from you." He bit his lip, looking away. He didn’t want to hide his other girlfriend, either, except for how he kind of did. That was a whole different topic.

  "So you think it’s serious." Apparently his response confirmed something for her.

  "It’s serious," he answered.

  "You’ve known each other for, what? A week now? I know how it goes, but I’m just saying."

  Alex opened his mouth, closed it again, and thought of a meaningful response rather than an empty one. "I’m not going to treat someone I’m dating like I don’t take her seriously."

  "That’s a good answer," Michelle conceded.

  "Thank you."

  "I’m only saying you don’t have to rush into anything. If she’s serious, she knows that. She’s old enough to know it."

  "Wow, Mom."

  "That’s not a slam. I wish I’d been old enough to know better with your father," she muttered. He’d inherited that mutter from her.

  "He’s one more reason I’m not going to treat her like I don’t take her seriously," said Alex. "I’ve got
a lot of examples to not go on with him."

  "Good," said his mother.

  "How’s Eddie?" asked Alex.

  Her eyebrows rose. "He’s fine. That’s not what you’re asking though, is it?"

  "Think you two are serious?" Alex only half-teased.

  "He’s got potential, but as I said, I don’t need to rush. And I’ve got enough experience to make a good decision either way, I think." Her eyes narrowed again. "You were very interested in coordinating dinner tonight. And you’ve kept the house clean."

  Alex frowned, looking around the bottom floor of their small townhome. "Since when has that been weird? I started picking up slack since before Dad left. I’m not a little boy anymore."

  "No, but you’re putting effort into it."

  He rolled his eyes again. "I may have had someone over a couple times."

  "You’re practicing, aren’t you?" Her voice fell and slowed. "It’s serious, you say, and you’re asking about Eddie. Alex, do you have plans?"

  He hesitated. She waited. Now he knew he was busted. "It’s not like Lorelei lives with her family or roommates," he admitted. "I’ve stayed with her. It worked out. We get along."

  "Uh-huh. Staying over at your girlfriend’s place is natural. You’re thinking beyond that, aren’t you? No, that wouldn’t be weird. You’re talking about it? Already?"

  "She’s looking for a new place, anyway..."

  "Alex. It’s been a week."

  "It’s not—" he began, and then stopped. They weren’t alone.

  "He won’t be far," whispered the woman suddenly leaning in at Michelle’s ear. Lorelei appeared as if Alex had blinked, yet he knew he hadn’t. She wore a green and black dress, casual and glamourous at the same time, with her black hair cascading over her shoulders. The succubus threw Alex a soft wink. Michelle looked past him, clearly distracted, but seemed unaware Lorelei was even there.

  "He’ll be in touch. You know how to look out for him."

  "You’ll be...in...Seattle, right?" Michelle asked slowly. "Or nearby?"

  "Yeah, definitely," Alex managed despite his surprise. "Not like we’re moving away."

  Lorelei straightened, pushed her hair back, and made a casual kissing motion before turning away. She plucked a book off the shelf behind the dining nook and disappeared on the way to the stairs.

  Michelle shook it off like a yawn. Her eyes and her hands returned to her dinner. She hardly lost a beat otherwise. "Is this her idea or yours?"

  "Kind of...both?" Alex blinked.

  "No, I mean is she pushing this on you? Or are you pushing it on her?" She cut. She ate. She sounded perfectly normal. "I know you want to get out of the house, but moving in is a big step."

  "Yeah, we’ve talked about that." He couldn’t stop staring.

  "What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?" Michelle wiped her mouth with a napkin, but it was unnecessary.

  "Nothing." Alex returned to his plate, though slower than she did.

  "It’s not weird, really," Michelle sighed. "You planned on being gone already with the Army. I was fine with that, and it’s not like this would lock you into anything the way they would."

  "That’s true," said Alex.

  "It’s sudden, but..." She shook her head. "You’ve always been a good judge of people."

  "I have?"

  "Yes. And I want you to be happy. If she makes you happy, then obviously I hope it works out. We already talked about that part. I said I’m not disapproving."

  "You did." He smiled, relaxing a little. "Thanks, Mom."

  "Oh, we’re not done discussing all this. We need to talk about money and bills and what has your name on it and what doesn’t. If you want to move in with someone, fine. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t protect yourself." She looked up with another thought. "You are using protection, aren’t you?"

  * * *

  His bed was barely big enough for one, as far as Lorelei was concerned. It fit two if one got on top of the other, which served their interests but not well. Three could make use of it if they tried certain configurations—and they did—but not for sleeping. Lorelei had worked with far less many times across centuries. As a matter of fortitude, she was indifferent, but she hardly saw austere living as a virtue. She had better goals ahead.

  Alex found her upright on the bed with her back against the headboard, reading her book and looking forward to a place and a larger bed of their own. She felt his desires rise as his gaze fell on one bare leg propped up over the other, with much of her dress pooled around her hips. So easy to please and so delicious. She’d never get enough of it. Her brow rose as she turned her eyes to him, finding a look less lustful and more perplexed.

  "What was that?" he asked quietly, closing the door behind him.

  "The same influence that allowed my presence to go unnoticed here all week," she answered. "Illusion and stealth are easy enough, but to make sure every sign goes ignored takes a little suggestion. We’ve spoken about this before."

  "I’m not mad...I don’t think." He frowned. "I trust you."

  "Yet you’re troubled?"

  "I feel like I should be? You just Professor X’d my mom."

  Then it was Lorelei’s turn to frown. "We have many movies to watch together, don’t we?"

  "X-Men. The bald guy. He’s a telepath."

  "Ah. Again, it’s not mind control. I don’t do that. I can only nudge people along directions they want to go in some way or another. Did Michelle say anything untrue or out of sorts?"

  "No, but she got there fast," said Alex.

  "That was my hope. I thought to spare you a long and tense discussion since the outcome was inevitable. Even Rachel says it’s best if Michelle doesn’t know the truth about us. That leaves us unable to give certain answers to reasonable questions."

  "Yeah, I guess that’s true," he sighed.

  "You were down there a while. I wondered if I made any difference."

  "Oh, you did," Alex replied. "Were you listening in the whole time?"

  "No. I came down for my book and overheard only a little. Your boundaries are sacred to me, love." Then she smiled. "But I’m going to play with you a lot."

  Lorelei tucked her legs in to make room for Alex on the bed. She slid her laptop around between them. "I’ve been looking at a few prospects for homes, but obviously this is a task for the three of us."

  He sat down to look at the screen. A smile crept over his face, turning to quiet laughter as he looked away. "What is it?" asked Lorelei.

  "That whole talk downstairs," said Alex. "That was all about partnership and sharing and not taking advantage of each other."

  "I can’t tell you how much I look forward to exactly that," said Lorelei. Her fingers traced down his cheek to his neck.

  "She said it’s what really matters. It’s what holds everything together when the passion cools off. Said you can’t be horny for each other forever."

  Lorelei’s hand fell. So did her smile. "That," said the succubus with a sniff, "is offensive."

  Live Like This

  One week after Good Intentions

  They caught a tour of the condominium amid a break in overcast skies. Late afternoon light spilled through broad windows all along the far end of a spacious living room. A narrow balcony on the other side of the windows looked over downtown. Only a black marble top island counter separated the living room from the spacious kitchen area to the right of the little foyer. Alex looked on the open space and the office towers with wide eyes. "Oh wow."

  "That’s what we like to hear," said the realtor. Victoria walked a couple steps behind Alex and Lorelei, heels clicking on the white tile spreading from the foyer to the kitchen. "This is the widest floor plan in the building. You don’t get the corner view but you do get more space."

  He only half listened as he wandered in. Alex didn’t know high-rise living could involve fireplaces. He also didn’t know it would involve a homeowner’s association until the realtor mentioned it in the elevator.

&nbs
p; He didn’t know a lot of things. Today felt like a reminder of that.

  "Fuck yeah," declared another feminine voice behind him. "I like this!"

  Alex caught Rachel’s reflection in the sliding glass balcony door. She swept straight through Victoria like a ghost, arms and wings spread wide as she twirled across the living room to catch up to him. "It’s so roomy. I can stretch all the way out!"

  "Furniture will fill it up a bit," Lorelei said, subtly covering her response to Rachel as if she was only musing out loud.

  "You can do that without spoiling the space, right?" asked Rachel.

  "That always happens," Victoria answered, completely oblivious to the angel’s presence. "It is a little easier to maintain a happy balance than you might think, though. I’ve seen a couple of the other units after move-in."

  She walked with a tablet computer cradled against her blazer. Long legs descending from her black skirt suit and platinum hair flowing down her shoulders kept Alex looking her way. Each time, she made eye contact with Alex and grinned. Each time, he averted his gaze so she wouldn’t think he was staring.

  This time his eyes averted straight to Lorelei, alluring as always in a short, dark dress and heels. Amid the safety of her casual glamour, Alex noted her sly, approving smile. She knew. Of course she knew. "I take it you like the view, love?"

  "How’d you guess?" he replied.

  "Feel free to open up if you want a better look," said Victoria. She meant the balcony. Alex knew that. Obviously.

  The door opened with a tug and a brief rush of air. Alex stepped out onto the small space to take in the view of the street below. Tall buildings lined this side and the opposite, but few of the others had any balcony areas. Balconies to the left and right wrapped around the corners of the building. The condo already seemed extravagant, but at least greater extravagance wasn’t too far away to provide perspective.

  Rachel arrived at his side, fading straight through the floor-to-ceiling window. Her hand slid affectionately down from his shoulder all the way to his ass. Naturally, it stayed there. "Kinda hoping we’d find someplace roomy like this."