Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2015 11:17:40 -0700 From: Emri S. Subject: Emerson and the Lion-8 Thanks for your feedback Please remember to support Nifty! Emerson and the Lion +-{Part 8}-+ I don't know why it's still this hot at the end of October, but I don't think I'd ever felt a cold day in this country. The sun was blazing away as I made my way out of my last class for the day. Hiding out in Morocco had put me another week behind in my classes. Ali had fixed it all. I magically got notes for what I'd missed and got ridiculously easy makeup quizzes for two classes. I should have just asked for a diploma for the whole four years. I'm sure the great Ali Hamad could make it happen. I sat down at a little table at the base of the building where I could come out when Ali texted to say he was here to pick me up. I hurriedly ate the bag of apple slices he had put in my backpack for a snack. He was getting weird about my eating. I had lost weight when we were in Morocco and more since we got home. He wasn't happy about that. He would argue with me if I didn't eat everything on my plate, but he mostly just looked sad, helpless. He would be upset if he didn't find an empty apple slice bag. A group of Arab boys sat at the table next to me. Four of them, all with the same close cropped beards, muscled chests covered in brand name European designer t-shirts. The tallest one, wearing a Yankees baseball cap stood and stretched. He caught me looking at his nicely developed abs as his shirt lifted up. He smiled and gave me a wink, then pulled up the hem of his shirt and secured it between his teeth. It showed off his stomach and all the way up to his left nipple. I blushed deeply and turned back to my apples. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him let his shirt fall and collapse in a pile of laughs with his friends. I was sure they were laughing at me, probably talking about what a fag I was. But then he slid over to my table. He took an apple slice from my bag and popped it into his mouth. I looked up at him with fear. I didn't want to get my ass kicked. He read my face and his lips turned to a confused smile. He mouthed something. "I'm deaf," I typed into my phone and showed it to him. His smile turned to embarrassed horror. "Oh shit, I'm sorry. I just thought you were being a snob when I tried to talk to you so I came over. Sorry bro. I'm not someone who makes fun of disabled people." He was frantically trying to explain. "I'm not disabled. Just can't hear. Sorry for looking at your abs. I just wish mine were like that." "Yeah? Well we should work out together. I could train you. I'm Nabil by the way." He slid in closer to me and put an arm across the back of my chair as he leaned in to type on my phone. He had the smell, the lion scent. It was that mix of sweat and cologne with a surge of innate power. It was the smell of the prowl, the hunt for prey. His body buzzed with it. "I'm Emerson, Emi for short. I'm not supposed to talk to anyone," I typed, feeling suddenly guilty. "Oh," he typed and looked over at me without sliding away. "I knew you were taken. This isn't a popular university of blonde American boys. Who is your owner?" "Ali Hamad," I showed Nabil his picture in my phone. Nabil took it and swiped through the pictures looking at me sitting in Ali's lap, holding on to him in the pool, napping with my head on his chest. "You are loved," he typed, "It doesn't always go that way for guys like you. But I know Ali, he's a good one. He will take care of you. Be well, Emi." He kissed my cheek, took another apple slice, and went back to his friends. ************** So much had happened in the last week. We took a smaller private plane from Morocco since there were four of us and the dog. Kadir had fun roaming around between bored people more likely to pet and play with him. Caleb had made up with Samir, but he was acting really strangely. He signed with me on the flight home to tell me what had happened. Caleb and I went to the front seats while Ali and Samir caught up on work on their laptops together. They both enjoyed the in-flight bartender while we signed together quietly up front. "It's what you said, Emi," Caleb signed to me, "What do we have to go back to in LA? My mindless job? My classes that I can barely afford to take? I can't even pay for Spring semester. No one is looking out for me. Plus I figured out you weren't coming home with me. Your life has changed so much here. Samir is my best shot at that." "That's not right, Caleb," I fumed, "Samir really cares about you. You can't use him for money." "I'm not! I mean he is super hot. We definitely connect. The sex is a little one sided, but he does make me feel good. When you first met Ali, wasn't there some part of you that got turned on at the thought of his money and being taken care of? He put aside a ton of money for you. You're set for life. If I found that in LA it would be with some old freak," Caleb tried to explain. "No! I never thought of Ali's money. It's still not about money. I never asked for him to put away money for me. I didn't ask for these clothes or any of this. I only knew him for a week, banged my head, and woke up completely involved in this life," I insisted. "You fell into Wonderland. You were handed a dream," Caleb mused. "Emi through the looking glass..." "When I saw what they did to protect you," he continued. "I saw what the whole family did to protect you. His father talked with Izem's. Even Zaid offered to give himself for a weekend to Izem. His older brothers who haven't even met you helped by contacting people with information to take Izem out. They really care about their own. You are one of their own." I didn't know all that had happened. I looked back at Ali and caught his eye. He looked up, concerned, but returned my smile when he saw I was just looking. "I was so jealous. No one would ever do that for me, and I had been so mean to Samir. I knew I needed to make it up to him. I want to be here. I can live by his rules. If that's how I get in here, I can do it," Caleb sighed. Samir did forgive him, but their whole dynamic shifted. Caleb became very reserved, wore the clothes Samir selected for him, stayed at his side and looked only at him. Samir seemed to walk a little taller with Caleb subdued... at least for awhile. Caleb didn't have school here so Samir had him taking care of the chores the housekeepers normally did for him. He learned to cook meals specially for Samir, folded his clothes as he liked, and of course took care of his personal needs when Samir was home from work or his own studies. I didn't see him much. ******************** Aside from my conversation with Caleb at the front of the plane, Ali didn't let me out of arm's reach until he dropped me off on campus for my classes. We had spent the two days at home just being together in every possible position. My phone buzzed as I finished the last slice of apple. Ali was outside. I waved goodbye to Nabil as I stood up. He came over and handed me a small slip of paper with his phone number and email. I put it inside my textbook and he gave a little wave and smile as I walked away. I got into the car and he held out his hand. I handed over my phone, wallet, and my empty bag to show I ate the apple slices. He leaned over and kissed me, rubbing the back of my neck gently. He slipped my phone and wallet into his work bag and the empty bag into the little trash bag in the back. He paused for a moment and gave my cheek a second sniff. I worried that he smelled Nabil's lips on me. He cocked his head to the side with an appraising eye. He thought for a second and then leaned in to me and licked my cheek right where Nabil has kissed. My heart was pounding in my ear. It's things like this that really make me think hard about how animal these "lions" might actually be. He pulled back and smiled at me, rubbed my cheek where he'd licked with his thumb, and then pulled my seatbelt over me to buckle it. He pulled out a small bag of raw almonds and handed it to me. I shook my head and waved my hand to say, "No thank you." He pushed it at me insistently, and I knew better than to argue. Two nights before, he had stopped me as we headed to the shower, naked and sleepy. He turned me to face the mirror, my pale, thin body looked so small in front of his muscled, dark frame. I moved to cover my dick with my hands as a deep blush spread over my cheeks. I knew he didn't care about my small size, but being naked next to him was severely humbling. He traced his hands over my chest, my sides, pointing out the ribs showing. He looked sad, troubled. "So small, little cub," he said to the tablet, "You have to eat, my love. I almost lost you once and that was when we'd just met. Now my heart is yours completely. If you waste away to nothing, it will die with you. So I give up, ok? You win if it means filling your empty tummy. What does my cub want to eat? What is Emi's favorite meal?" I thought about it for a half second. The one thing I really missed from America is, "Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich. With grape jelly, please. Not some weird Arabic toe jelly." "You think we eat jelly from the toes?" Ali typed with a fake scowl and raised brow. I nodded my head yes with a serious look until he came towards me with a tickle attack. He texted someone on his phone and then pushed me towards the shower. He washed me gently. These days he acted as though I would break if he was too firm or rough with me. We took our time under the hot water, kissing, touching. His beard scratched against my cheek and neck as his soapy finger worked inside me. He was preparing me for where I knew the night would lead us. That was the one area where his drive preceded his caution. He would take what was his. We finished and dried off. He put me in kid print pajamas. He stepped into a pair of jogger shorts, and wrestled his dick into the front. He splashed on dabs of his cologne, and then led me back out towards the kitchen. Sure enough, right on the counter was a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, and some cold grape jelly. There really wasn't anything he couldn't make happen. I turned to him with a smile as my eyes doubled in size. I gave a little jump and he reached for me and lifted me up to set me on the counter. He got a plate out and knife. I showed him how to put it together correctly. Not too much jelly, spread it evenly. I actually like crust, so I didn't cut off the edges. But a good PBJ must be cut diagonally! I was showing him every step and pretending to talk as I pointed things out and flapped my lips soundlessly like a puppet. I used hands, expressions, motions to show what I meant and he was getting really expert at interpreting my body moves into communication. He wanted me to eat, but I insisted that he have one with me. He looked leery of it, but gave me a shrug and signed, "OK." He loves that sign because he says it makes him look gangster when he does it. He sat up on the counter behind me and pulled me onto his lap. I leaned back against his bare skin, the lightly furred muscled mass that comforted me. His hard nipples pushed into my shoulder blades and I felt his warm, reassuring breath against my neck. I melted into his arms. He reached over me to put his hands over mine as I made his sandwich. It was like he was trying to learn some technical craft. I think he was just being silly and wanted to hold me. I'm always ok with that. I finished his sandwich and cut it diagonally. I raised half of it up and behind me, turning to watch as he took a bite. He chewed it thoughtfully with pursed lips and one raised brow, evaluating its merits. He gave a "Not bad" shrug, and then picked up half and fed it to me. That was his real mission here. His arms enfolded me like his child as he pushed the bread past my lips. It wasn't exactly right, but i'm sure it was the products. One of the things about being out of the country is that nothing tastes just right. America is it's own planet. Ketchup here was more tomatoey and watery. Soda tasted awkward and more sugary. It's why I just stayed away from things I'd liked back home and tried to find things here that I liked from their palate. Suddenly, it triggered memories from being a kid, before my mom passed. Hers was one of the few voices I remember hearing before my ears stopped working. She was always singing. Who knew a certain food could bring back a flood. Ali's hand on my jaw brought me out of my thoughts as he turned my face towards him. He looked at me quizzically and held the sandwich to my lips. "You don't like it? My little cub is sad," he typed after he set down the sandwich and brought out his phone. "No, it's great. It just brought back memories... of my mom and... bad stuff." I typed out what I was thinking as he put the sandwich to my lips insistently. I took bites to make him happy. I still wasn't hungry. "I know, little cub, I read the medical file and police report on how you lost your hearing. Your mother's boyfriend was a very bad man. I had an investigator look up what happened to him after he was released from jail. He died in a fight at a bar. He got what he deserved for hurting you. If he weren't already dead I would have had him taken out." "And then the rest of your family. Rejecting you because you had health needs they didn't want to deal with," he continued, "How could they do that? Who could push you away? You are right to be angry." "I'm not angry. What does anger help? I have a good life. I have you. You can't live life looking backwards, you have to move forward," I typed. "Always forward... You are forward." *************** We finished up and brushed our teeth before settling into bed. I put my head on his chest and smelled his cologne, heard his heart beating against my ear. He put his arms around me and I slid a hand down over his bulge. The beast was asleep, but none less huge. I felt him kiss the top of my head and his hand reached down to cover mine as it slowly awakened his cock. He pulled me up to meet his lips. His tongue pushed past them as he set me down on his lap. My bottom rubbed up against his now pitched tent. It poked at me and he sat up, pulling me up with him. He kissed me deeply as his hands went up the back of my shirt to lift it up and off of me. We broke our kiss momentarily as my shirt passed my head. He flung it to the floor and pushed me into his chest. His lips found mine again as I reached back and pushed his shorts down. His cock flipped up angrily against my back. I leaned into him, inhaling his cologne as he nibbled down my neck. I reached back again to stroke his cock. It was so hard and full, about to burst in my hand. He grabbed my hand and took it off of him. He lifted me up to stand, straddling him. His hands peeled my pajama pants and briefs down and my cock sprang free, inches from his nose. He leaned up and kissed the tip, still not interested in sucking me. I stepped out of my clothes and he tossed them and then turned me around to go for what he desired. He bent me over and laid back against the bed, pulling my ass up to his face. I felt him roughly spread my cheeks and then his tongue entered me. "Uhh Ahh!" I moaned as he pushed his tongue inside me. His hand found the back of my head and he pushed me face first towards his cock. It hit my tightly closed lips and he kept pushing until I opened with a "pop." His cock slid into my mouth as his tongue filled my other hole. Soon enough it would be the other way around. I sucked on him, bouncing my head as his cock pushed towards my throat, his tongue working deeper into me. I felt my hole twitch and my body jerked a little as he slurped circles and stretched my hole. "Ahh Fuhh," I was mumbling like an idiot as his tongue was replaced by a lubed finger. He slid one in and soon tried a second. It was tight, but he had worked on me earlier. I felt warm waves roll over me, my stomach fluttered with butterflies as he pushed roughly inside me. He found the pleasure points, playing my chute like a master flautist. He always made beautiful music flow through me. I wrestled his cock with my tongue, gagging on it when he pushed in too deeply. He loved the sensation though and kept pushing again and again as my throat spasmed around his tip. Spit leaked down his shaft as my nose touched his heavy, furry nuts. We worked up a rhythm of him pushing into me three times and then deeply on the fourth. I gagged, pulled away, but he kept his hand on the back of my head, never allowing me off his cock completely. I was his to train and he wasn't going to let me give up. My throat was raw as he kept it up and eventually it grew accustomed to his massive pole. And then it started to feel right. He pushed in quickly, deeply, and I didn't gag. I just held there, feeling it nudge against the back of my throat. My nose was buried between his balls. They were coated in my spit, a hair tickled my nostril. I inhaled the almond scent of the new soap he was using mixed with fresh sweat. He held my head there, grinding into me. He had three fingers in my hole. With all my mouth action, I hadn't felt him slip in the third one, but I definitely felt knuckles against my cheeks. The fingers of the hand holding down the back of my head began to intertwine with my hair. He grabbed a chunk of it and lifted me up off his cock. His other fingers slid out of my hole. He let me up and grabbed a small towel from the bedside table to wipe the lube off his fingers. He reached for the bottle of lube and I knew it was time for his lion's cock to train my other hole. I reached for the bottle and he handed it to me with a shrug, amused that I would trust my slicking up to anyone but him. I turned and poured some over the tip of his cock, using my hand to slick it up. I pumped it a few times, giving him an imploring smile and nod to indicate I needed it. He bit his lip with a smile and raised his left eyebrow a few times, mouthing, "Yeah baby?" I nodded and gave pouty eyes and he sat up and kissed me. His hands grabbed me by the hips and lifted me up. He put me chest down against the bed and I grabbed for the towel to wipe my slick fingers. He had never taken me from behind. I crawled up the bed and hugged a pillow as he hovered over me. He put a hand into the center of my back and pushed me down against the mattress. I felt his breath on the back of my neck and then his lips. A hand came up and wrapped around my neck, turning my face to the side to look back up at him. He smiled gently at me and his lips found mine in an awkward kiss as his other hand pushed the tip of his cock against my hole. He slid into me slowly. I raised my hips off the bed to get more, but he was taking his time. He was so hard and there was so much of it. I didn't know how I would ever take it all, but I pushed back greedily, needing my lion to fill his cub. He kissed me and rubbed my chest, tweeking my nipples as he pushed more into me. He did it painfully slow, allowing my hole to stretch and accommodate him. His daddy mode was struggling with his lion needing to get in me but safely, protectively. "Uh Fuh Yeah!" I mumbled into his lips as I felt him slide in the thicker part of his shaft where it bulbed out in the middle. I felt his lips give a laugh at my delirious state. He knew he had control over my pleasure, knew he could bring me to happy better than I could ever do myself. He slipped a finger past my lips as he slid in deeper. I wondered how much farther he had to go. He rested for a moment as I sucked on his finger like a pacifier. His teeth nibbled at my earlobe as his hot, lustfilled breath blushed my cheek. No longer able to hold off, he started to slowly slide out of me, just an inch or so. He held it there and then slowly wormed back in, brushing against my pleasure points. His chest rubbed against my back, his sweat pouring over me. His body heated up so much when he fucked me. It warmed me in the cold room. "Fuh Ee Dah-ee," I voiced around his finger playing with my tongue. A wide grin filled his face. He was proud of his cub. He was ready to seed me. He nodded and kissed my cheek and then started to fuck me. He slid in and pulled out, doing pushups with his hands planted against the sheets on either side of my small frame. His lips found mine as he started to drill me. "Fuh Yah! Uhh!" I begged, knowing how much he loved when I talked. It turned his lips from gentle smile into a lust-filled "O." He started pounding me into the bed, hammering me solidly. His sweat dripped down over me as I squirmed beneath him. I kept turning my face to the pillow, needing to bite something. He didn't like that. He grabbed my cheek and turned me back to face him. It strained my neck, but he always said he needed to see me, needed to gauge my safety. It was the way he kept his lion from destroying its prey. "Fuh Uhhh Ahh," I felt my cock tense up as the massive meat filled me and pushed my own cum up towards explosion. His cock filled me so tightly that it touched and massaged every point of pleasure in my hole. I was made for him and when he was inside me it made every sensory point buzz with electricity. My cock leaked a steady pool of precum on the sheets as it rubbed against them every time he pushed into me. "I cum," I said, my throat raw and dry. He nodded and kissed his consent on my cheek as I ruined an expensive pair of sheets with my day's worth of cub juice. My body tensed and my stomach knotted as I shot in rhythm with his fucking. He was ramming me harder now as I grabbed at the pillow, biting the corner of it and mumbling nonsense. "Uh Ah OH UHHHH!" I screamed as he pushed deep into me. It hurt, but my body was lost in orgasm as my cock bumped along the bed coating my tummy with spunk. I felt my heart pounding in my ear as his chest came down against me and squished me hard against the bed. "UHHHH" I felt his breath escape over my ear then he put his teeth against my neck. I felt him tense up over me, pushing me down hard as he started to squirt inside me. He growled so deeply that I felt the vibrations deep in his chest against my back as he slid his arms under me and pulled me back against him. He squeezed the breath out of me with his muscled arms. I was sucking without anywhere for the air to go. He buried his cock in me, his balls slapping against my thighs. He filled me with his seed, driving it to places it could never escape. "Ahhhh!" I tried to scream, but not much came out. I felt light headed. Two more strokes into me and then he collapsed. He finally rolled over, pulling me with him, his cock still planted in me. His arms eased up though and I started coughing, choking as air filled me too quickly. I sat up on his cock. It hurt like fire, but I was breathing so heavily, hyperventilating. He quickly sat up, sensing something was wrong. He lifted me off his cock too quickly causing a shot of pain through my ass. "AHH!" I screamed from the pain and then gasped for air. He turned me to face him and his eyes turned to concern. He rubbed my back gently, pushing my face into his chest. He held me there and I felt his heart beat, his breathing slowing. I focused on it, trying to match him. I calmed down on his chest. It always made me sleepy. He rubbed my back soothingly, breathing softly against my hair. I closed my eyes and laid against him. He stood up and held me against him, balancing me on one arm. His free hand tore the sheets off the bed. He flung them towards the door and they landed in a sweaty, cum-filled pile. He typed something into his phone and laid it down by the bedside table. He carried me off to the bathroom again and closed the door. Setting me on the counter on my knees, he looked at my hole in the mirror. I looked back too. It was ok, nothing wrong, just the shock of going too fast. He swatted my bottom playfully and I raised up to kiss him. We took a quick shower and then he set me back up on the counter. He took a tube of something from a medicine kit. He put on one rubber glove and then squeezed out a length of white gel onto his covered finger. He rubbed it over my hole and the hurting stopped. It spread this warm sensation inside me and everything felt nicely numb. He looked at me questioningly and signed, "better?" I nodded and he kissed me, tossed the glove in the trash can and went to get us fresh clothes. We came out to find the bed with fresh sheets. They were warm, fresh from the dryer and felt good against my cold skin as we climbed into bed. I settled into his chest and went straight to sleep. ************ Since we came home from Morocco I'd had a flurry of bad nightmares which contributed to my lack of appetite. On some weird level my body thought it could get small enough to fit in his pocket and be safe forever. I woke up in Ali's arms and I would raise myself up to stare at his face, make sure it was really him. It freaked him out to wake up with me an inch from his nose, staring at him like a crazed ghost. He'd jump, but then hold me to his chest and kiss me. He'd rub my back until I fell back asleep. Over the next week he insisted on me finishing my snacks and meals. My normal grilled chicken salad was swapped for smaller portions of his meals. It felt weird eating steak and other non-chicken meat. My body wasn't used to it. ************* Thursday meant the weekend started for us. We had dinner in the big house with the family. I hadn't seen Caleb at all that week. Samir had kept him busy with training and I was busy with schoolwork. Ali had on dark pants with a long-sleeved white t-shirt that was semi transparent. It showed his impressive muscles and his dark nipples peeked through the thin material. He put me in a small red polo shirt tucked in to khaki pants. We ate in the large dining room with all of us together. Dr. Hamad was there with some guy I didn't know who was about his age. Samir sat next to Ali with Caleb sitting silently at his side. He looked over at me with a smile and we got to sign back and forth a little until Ali put a fork in my hand and insisted I begin working on the full plate in front of me. Ali's younger brother Zaid was there with his two boyfriends or boy friends. I wasn't sure what they were to him, but they were bulky, handsome Arab boys who bookended Zaid's skinny frame. I watched him for awhile. He rarely ever looked at me. In between mouthfuls of their large portions, the boys would take turns talking and laughing with Zaid. They looked at him with adoring eyes, trying to outdo each other for his attention. It was a very strange dynamic. But as Ali had pointed out to me, what seems right to me isn't right to others. I kept remembering that, still I wondered how they worked things out. Zaid definitely wasn't the pride of Dr. Hamad. He rarely paid much attention to him, preferring to lavish his approval and attention on Ali, Samir, and maybe the two older brothers who lived far away. But it didn't seem to matter to Zaid. He had his own path away from the family. Other than entertaining myself by thoughts of Ali's brother, I didn't get much out of family dinner night. Ali didn't put on the little voice to text app for me and Caleb was sitting dutifully silent at Samir's side. I was out of the loop. I finished enough of my plate to get an approving nod from Ali. I put my head against his shoulder and he put an arm around me as he sipped wine and laughed with everyone. I was just about to nod off against Ali's chest when Caleb started flailing his arms at me to get my attention. "Party!" he signed excitedly when I looked at him. "Halloween party! tomorrow! night! fun! costumes! yay!" Each sign was punctuated with an excited expression. He was desperate to get out of the house. I looked at Ali for confirmation and he nodded. "He says he has selected a costume for you already, you'll find out tomorrow," Caleb translated. ********** Friday morning I woke up excited. Ali was still asleep and holding me tightly to his chest. I arched my neck to look up at him. He was knocked out, deep in dreams. I reached down and put my hand in his shorts. His cock was soft, but no less impressive. Sometimes on quiet mornings like this it fully hit me just how impressive his is. I let my fingers explore his pubes. He kept them trimmed a little, but was definitely proud of being male. He slept for another hour as I alternated between cat naps and touching him. By the time he did wake up, he was fully hard and not sure how he got there. He kissed me and then let me suck on him. I tried taking him into my throat again. I wanted to keep practicing, get good for him. I wanted to make him proud. I practiced until he squirted my reward down my throat. He pulled me back up to his chest, rubbed my back and kissed me. We fell back asleep for another hour or so. That afternoon, Ali's stylist came over to get us ready for the party. Ali and Samir dressed in matching LA Dodgers baseball uniforms. They had the full setup down to the jockstraps and black paint under their eyes. The uniforms were skin tight, showing every bulge of muscle and manhood. I got hard just looking at Ali as he stepped out of the bathroom to show me. He looked so natural in it. I was dying to bounce in his lap. Next up, the stylist did me and Caleb. He painted out face with pink noses and whiskers. We each got a white facemask that covered around our eyes. He put us in tight white t-shirts and short white leather shorts with white puffy tails in the center of our bottoms. He tied on white bow ties around our necks and then secured white bunny ears on top of our heads. We put on some white leather slip on shoes. He finished us off with a little glitter on our cheeks. We looked at each other in the mirror. caleb signed, "Twins! Rabbit Twins!" I was surprised Ali would let us out showing so much skin, but he gave a very adoring smile when he saw us. "My baby," he mouthed and picked me up into his arms. ********** I understood his costume choice when we got to the party. The Lions were all in sports gear. Soccer, baseball, football, there was even some sports I didn't know (cricket?) represented. The cubs at the party were dressed as puppies, kittens, there was even a boy in his early 20's wearing a tight pair of tiny green briefs with a shell strapped to his back. Who sexualizes a turtle? It was freezing cold in the massive house where the party was held. It was designed that way to keep the scantily clad cubs clinging closely to their lions. We made our way through the crowd and out towards the back deck. There were lots of eyes on us as we were led to a table. Ali was very popular, everyone knew and liked him. Seeing him with his cub brought many stares my way. Aside the pool was a plastic lined pit filled with what looked like a massive amount of orange jello. Two slightly muscled white boys with blonde spikes were wrestling each other completely naked. They were trying to shove the jello into each other's mouths or asses. They were both rock hard though their cocks weren't impressive by arab standards. It was a weird scene. A few older arab men were standing around them talking and pointing at them. The arab man in the middle, a tall strong ox in his early 40's held a hand out and they stopped fighting. They crawled over towards him and got up on their knees in front of him. He said something to them and they started kissing each other. Ali turned my face away from the scene and shook his head disapprovingly. He didn't like me seeing such things, thought it would corrupt me. I caught the eye of one cub dressed as a puppy with no mask on. He had the floppy ears and a few spots painted on his pale white cheek. He was bare-chested, hairless, and wearing a brown furry thong. His black hair contrasted sharply to his pale skin. He looked half vampire. He was with an older darker lion, maybe 40 something. He split his stare between my face and Ali's. He smiled at Ali and raised his hand in a wave. I looked at Ali who was waving and smiling with a hint of blushing. Jealousy stabbed me in the stomach and I instantly pictured the two of them in the bathroom at a party. Ali bending him over the counter and riding him roughly and dropping a load inside him while the cub's lion was outside. Ali caught me glaring at him and gave me a confused smile. He leaned down and kissed me, ignoring my jealous state. Ali signed, "Old friend," he signed and gave me a kiss. The guys ordered strong drinks for themselves and gave us juices with soda water. Ali took me around to meet some of his business contacts. I didn't get any of the information they were speaking to me, I just nodded happily and looked around the room. Ali held me in front of him with his arms across my chest. As we went through the crowd, I caught sight of Nabil! I waved excitedly and he came over wearing blue soccer shorts and a blue, tight jersey shirt. He had on blue socks that went up over his knees. I waved hi and then realized I had no way of communicating with him. Ali pulled me back against his chest and reached in front of me to shake Nabil's hand. His other arm held tightly across my chest like a seatbelt when someone slams on the brakes. They talked back and forth for a minute. I don't know what was said. Nabil looked so handsome. He had Ali's way of always smiling and looking directly into someone's soul. I could feel Ali's tension as he probably probed Nabil to find out how and why he seemed to know me. Nabil finally walked away but then turned back to me and gave a wink. He made the "Call me" sign with his fist over his ear. Ali turned me and went in the opposite direction to talk to some other business friend. I knew he would demand an explanation later. And then my heart dropped, I swore I saw Izem. My heart stopped beating and I froze, clinging to Ali's protective hold. I had only seen him once at the juice bar at the resort, but he had dominated my nightmares. Light skin, black hair, large brown eyes that stared me down. He was maybe 5 feet from me, talking to someone and just out of Ali's sight. I raised my eye mask to get a clear look. He gave me a wink and nod before disappearing. I tugged on Ali's shirt. His hand covered mine, but he didn't look away from the business friend with whom he was speaking. I tugged again, with urgency. He looked down at me, annoyed. I pointed to where I had seen Izem. "He!" I said, but Ali turned, saw no one, and didn't know what I was talking about. I rooted in his pocket and pulled out his phone and typed what I had seen. He read it and snapped his head up, scanned the room and then gave me a dismissive smile. "Must have been seeing things. I don't think he would show up here. He and the host are bitter rivals. He wouldn't." Ali assured both himself and me. We made our way back to Samir and Caleb on the deck. Caleb signed excitedly that a famous DJ was here tonight. He spoke with Ali and then signed that Ali knew him and would introduce them. Caleb was glowing. I stayed with Samir who was sipping another drink and playing with his phone. He pulled me down to his lap and from the way he held me and stroked my tummy I think he thought I was Caleb. I pushed his drink across the table. He didn't need more. Ali led Caleb, my bunny twin, away by the hand. They headed towards the stage behind the pool where the thumping originated. I saw Izem again. He had a face mask on now, but I was sure it was him. He was dressed in a hockey uniform. I shrank down in Samir's embrace. He kissed my neck while lost in the game on his phone. Izem didn't look at me though. His eyes followed Caleb as Ali led him onto the stage. A tall man in a yellow t-shirt was coming towards them with a smile. Izem said something to a man dressed in camouflage and then turned and left. Ali came back a few minutes later and I jumped up at him with a worried look. "What troubles my bunny?" He typed and played with the rabbit ears atop my head, "not enjoying the party?" "He is here! I saw him again! We have to go please!" I typed frantically. He sighed, "This was supposed to be fun for you, little bunny. I guess you're not ready to be out yet. Don't you want to dance? We haven't even eaten yet. I won't leave your side again, ok? You have nothing to fear in my arms. I promise. Besides, Caleb is having a lot of fun." "Where's Caleb?" I suddenly realized he didn't return with Ali. "The DJ is showing him some of his new stuff. He's fine, little bunny. Nothing to worry about," Ali assured me like I was mental. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap. Ali started talking with Samir who sat up, looking hazy but happy. I craned my neck to see the stage. I needed to see bunny ears bouncing happily to know Caleb was fine. I saw the DJ walk out with a microphone and say something. It got the crowd's attention. Caleb wasn't with him. I tugged on Ali again and pointed to him. I signed, "Where Caleb? Not there!" At that point Ali stood up and then Samir did too. They both looked around and then Samir opened his mouth very wide like he was yelling for Caleb. Ali pulled me by the hand and we went toward the stage to look for him. I looked at every face I could see. I didn't see the hockey player and I didn't see Caleb. My heart skipped a beat as I pieced it together. He was gone. They both were. We looked the same and with the mask and face paint only Ali could tell us apart. "CALEB!" I yelled until my throat hurt. People were staring at me. Ali pulled me to the stage and grabbed the microphone from the DJ. He had them turn on the lights and he pointed towards me to show the crowd what Caleb looked like. Samir was turning in circles, trying to come out of his alcohol fog and find his boy. Every bodyguard at the party went into action. They may have been keeping an eye out for Caleb, but their main concern was on protecting the remaining cubs. If one could be taken, none were safe. Ali picked me up into his chest and held me tighter than he ever had before. All I could think of is what I would tell his parents. They would blame me. They had always been so kind to me. How could I repay it with losing their son, my best friend? +++++++++++++ Thanks for reading, please let me know your thoughts.