A Triple Scoop of I Scream (7 page)

Toni shrugged. “And you know this how?”

“I worked in an ice-cream parlour all through high school.”

Of course you did.

Bob returned with another full dolly. He put the whipped cream and cherries in the fridge and the case of cones on a shelf under the counter. He pulled the pump tops from the three labelled dispensers and emptied the corresponding sauce into each. He worked quickly and didn’t spill a drop.

He tossed the empty containers into the trash and held out the clipboard for Toni to sign.

Toni took the pen from Bob and as she signed mused, “Main Street Merchants Association, hmm, maybe I should join.”

Bob chuckled. “Yeah, and that would bring the membership up to what, two, Liam?”

* * * *

Toni slid back the dipping freezer door and looked at the eight brand-new tubs of ice cream inside. She glanced over at Liam who stood beside the sauce dispensers with his thumbs hooked in the front belt loops of his black jeans.

“For the record, I ordered the ice cream before the, um, incident in the bathroom,” he said. “Like I told you, it’s in my best interest to have this business succeed.”

“Right, what with you being the president of the Main Street Merchants Association and all,” Toni teased.

Liam winked and Toni’s face heated. He made no attempt to be discreet as he looked her over from head to toe and back again, lingering on her curves. She mirrored his actions, raising an eyebrow when her gaze reached the bulge at the front of his jeans.

“It’s almost dark,” Thomas said from across the counter.

Toni startled at the sound of his voice. She’d been so engrossed in her examination of Liam that she hadn’t heard Thomas approach.

“What should I be doing?” Liam asked.

I could think of a few things.

Liam turned and winked at Toni as if responding to her thought. She was about to ask him if that was the case when Thomas answered, rather too curtly.

“You shouldn’t do anything. Just watch.”

Liam made another lecherous scan of Toni’s body. “I can do that.”

“Easy, pal,” Thomas muttered.

Liam turned to Thomas and laughed. “Problem?”

“I don’t have a problem. You’re the one with the problem. Why don’t you show a little respect and stop looking at her like a piece of meat?”

The men glared at each other across the white marble and Toni looked from one to the other. The air felt charged, as if an electrical storm was building.

“She doesn’t seem to mind,” Liam said and stepped towards the counter.

The windows glowed orange with the last rays of the setting sun. Thomas stormed to the opening in the counter and approached Liam until they were less than a yard apart. Their chests heaved and their hands were balled into fists.

The ceiling lights surged. Toni was close enough to the men to reach out and touch them, but she was immobilised. She couldn’t take her eyes from the standoff, but she was aware of scuffling out on the shop floor.

“Here we go,” Mike said. “Bridge, hit the lights. I’ll pull down all the shades.”

A moment later the front half of the ice-cream parlour went dark and the sun slipped below the horizon as Mike pulled down the last shade. A single bulb burned above the candy counter at the back of the shop. Toni was now able to see an irregular pulsing halo of fiery light outlining Thomas and Liam. It rolled off them in waves of red and orange and yellow.

They were radiating anger and Toni knew she had to stop it before it escalated. She reached out to touch Liam’s and Thomas’ hands. Their fists relaxed and they each entwined their fingers with Toni’s. They slowly turned to face her and their expressions softened. The aura that engulfed the men cooled to a blue-green. It rolled off them and gathered Toni in as well. When the three of them were within the light, its colour turned pink and purple. Toni looked from one man to the other and back again. As her gaze passed between them, movement in the shop caught her attention.

Mike walked towards Bridget, took her hand and led her to the seating along the opposite wall. He dragged the table away from one of booths and sat back on the red vinyl bench. Bridget straddled his lap. Toni watched the couple kiss and pull off each other’s clothes, even as she felt hands stroking her arms. The shop began to glow with a soft pink light. A long, lean body slid behind hers.

Liam.

She glanced down to see his corded forearms encircling her waist. Liam drew her back against him, and bent his knees, rubbing his erection against her ass.

Thomas stepped into her from the front and nuzzled her neck.

Toni dropped back her head and closed her eyes. “Ah,” she breathed.

Thomas placed a hand on her breast and Liam slid his between her legs.

Toni’s head rolled to the side and she peered out over the counter through half-closed lids. She opened her eyes fully when she realised that, though the shop still glowed with the strange pink light, the décor had changed. The furnishings were similar, but looked brand new. Tall leafy potted plants stood in the corners and enormous feathery ferns hung in baskets from the ceiling. The walls were papered with advertisements for hair tonic, pipe tobacco and headache powder. An egg cream, she noted, was only five cents.

The shop was deserted except for Mike and Bridget, who were now naked and grinding together in a booth. The two were partially obscured by a magenta cloud of energy that surrounded them.

Thomas kneaded Toni’s breast through her shirt and Liam squeezed the fleshy mound between her thighs. Her panties and jeans were sodden with her juices. She wanted to close her eyes and bask in the heat of their touch, but she felt compelled to keep her attention on the shop, as if she were waiting for curtain to rise at a play.

Though she’d never seen his face, she knew instantly that the man who emerged from the kitchen door was Vinnie. He was leading Daisy by the hand.

Toni was vaguely aware that she was being manipulated by Thomas and Liam, but the sensations seemed far off as if she were detached from her body. Her laser focus was on the young couple as they jogged hand in hand into the centre of the shop. Daisy wore the same dress from the mirror encounter. Vinnie was in a short-sleeved work shirt with his name monogrammed on the chest and a bow tie shoved in the breast pocket. Toni could see that they were laughing but no sound registered. She wondered why she couldn’t at least hear Daisy. What made this haunting different from the last?
Residuals
. The thought slipped away as the pantomime played out.

Vinnie held a finger to his lips as if shushing his lover. She covered her mouth and batted her lashes in mock contrition. He pulled her hand down and scooped her into a graceful embrace. Toni felt her clothing stripped away, but even when she was standing naked behind the counter, she could only concentrate on the ghost lovers, who were now lost in a passionate kiss.

They abruptly separated, and looked towards the ceiling as if they’d heard a noise. They kissed once again then walked apart, holding hands until their arms were outstretched and they were connected only by the fingertips. The two reacted to another noise then turned and hurried away. Vinnie passed through the front door. Daisy ran towards the back of the shop. She turned a sharp right at the end of the counter and headed straight for the shelves that lined the wall between Toni’s ice-cream parlour and Liam’s bookshop. Daisy passed through wood and bricks without breaking her stride.

The instant the ghost disappeared, Toni’s awareness rushed back to her body. The jolt of sensations took her breath away. Thomas’ mouth was on her nipple. Liam was sucking her neck. She didn’t bother asking if they’d seen the ghosts’ magic trick. They were obviously unaware of anything that existed outside of the pulsing pink aura that still surrounded the three of them.

Thomas stood and kissed Toni. He probed her mouth with his tongue. “Mm. You taste so good, Toni.”

Liam licked a line from her shoulder up the side of her neck. He dragged her earlobe through his teeth. “Delicious,” he agreed. “Good enough to eat.”

Toni’s pussy creamed when she heard the wickedness in his voice. The men worked separately, yet in harmony, each playing his own part in her titillation. Shades of purple pulsed within the aura that surrounded them. Liam slid his hands beneath Toni’s arms and laced his fingers below her breasts. Thomas put a hand on either side of her waist then bent forward as he traced the curves of her hips, her outer thighs, her calves. He grasped an ankle in each hand then stood and stepped backwards. Toni was lifted between them. The men smoothly laid her out on the counter with her feet at the very edge of the walk-through opening. Her breath hitched when her skin made contact with the cold marble.

Liam stretched her arms over her head and pressed her palms together. She interlaced her fingers. “Stay put,” he said, giving her wrists a squeeze. The command in his voice made her squirm with anticipation.

She was careful to keep her hands still, but turned her head to watch the men set to work. Thomas slid open the freezer, prised the lid from the tub of chocolate and shovelled the ice cream into a bowl. He touched the rim of the bowl to her armpit and she fought the urge to recoil from the icy glass. Thomas placed the dish between Toni’s head and her outstretched hands. He dragged his fingernail down the outside of her body until he reached her feet. He massaged her ankles and calves.

Liam reached into the refrigerator, retrieved a can of whipped cream and placed it next to the ice cream above Toni’s head.

Oh God!

Liam walked towards the mirror and pumped chocolate sauce into a tall sundae glass. He filled another with liquid caramel. He returned to the counter, dipped his finger into the chocolate sauce, and painted it over Toni’s lips. He bent and kissed her, nibbling the sweetness from her mouth. She opened her fingers and laced them into his hair. He pulled away and locked his dark brown eyes on hers. “I thought I told you to stay put,” he whispered.

Thomas stopped his exploration of her lower legs. Toni swivelled her head to follow him as he strode to the candy counter at the back of the shop. He scanned the shelves and gathered items from a couple of the huge apothecary jars. He returned to where Toni was stretched out on the marble. She lifted her head and watched him lay out the candy—skinny black liquorice laces and a bright red round lollipop the size of a golf ball—on the counter between her feet. Thomas uncoiled the length of black rope liquorice and looked across the counter to Liam, whose mouth curled up in a wicked grin. Liam nodded, then once again gathered Toni’s hands over her head. He held them together while Thomas wrapped the candy rope around her wrists several times then knotted the ends. The sweet aroma of molasses and anise drifted down to her nose. She tested her bonds and was surprised at how strong they were. Toni had often fantasised about trusting a lover enough to play this game. Now the risk of submitting to two men, one a virtual stranger, sent shivers prickling over her body. She squirmed as she imagined what they were about to do to her. She rubbed her thighs together and they were slick with her juices.

Liam pulled off his T-shirt and folded it under Toni’s head. He stripped naked and Toni involuntarily licked her lips. She longed to touch his body. She swivelled her head and watched Thomas take off his clothes. She resisted the overwhelming urge to break free of her liquorice bonds and run her fingers over the gorgeous men who flanked her. Thomas stroked downward from her wrists, over her arms and onto her full breasts. He kneaded them and pinched the pink centres into hard peaks. Agonising pleasure radiated out from his touch and Toni whimpered.

Liam flicked the cap off a can of whipped cream. “Open your mouth,” he said to Toni. She did as she was told and Liam squirted a creamy dollop onto her tongue. She closed her mouth and moaned at the cool sweetness. Every sense was heightened and she thought she’d never tasted anything so wonderful.

Thomas framed each of her areolas with a forefinger and thumb and Liam inverted the can and filled the circles with sweet cream. Each man bent and licked the topping. Soon they were sucking hard and swirling their tongues over the tender flesh.

“Ah!” Toni cried out.

Liam straightened and dipped a finger into the caramel sauce. He pushed it into Toni’s mouth. “Suck,” he commanded. With his other hand he picked up the glass and drizzled a line of golden liquid from Toni’s throat, then past her sternum. Thomas picked up the glass of chocolate sauce and did the same, lacing the dark syrup in with the caramel. They zigzagged the gooey trail down her body to her triangle of curls, then emptied the remainder between her thighs.

Liam pulled his finger from her mouth and he and Thomas again bent over her, lapping at the sweet trail. They licked and stroked their way downwards, massaging the chocolate and caramel into her soft flesh. Toni lifted her head and watched the muscles slide beneath the tight skin of their backs. She writhed under their touch and lifted her hips as their hot mouths neared her pussy. They stopped their progress and teased—Liam dipping his tongue into her navel and Thomas tracing his across the upper border of her pubic hair. Her wrists were still bound and she struggled to keep them over her head as Liam had commanded. She wanted to snap the liquorice laces and press their heads downward. She wanted to feel fingers and tongues and cocks inside her. And yet she loved the uncertainty of this game. She had made herself vulnerable to these two ravenous men and, with all of them under the paranormal spell, there was no telling what was to come. The anticipation was excruciating and incredibly hot.

“Please touch my pussy,” she begged.

The two men ignored her plea and instead moved away from the aching spot. Toni groaned with frustration. Thomas quieted her with a kiss. His mouth still tasted of chocolate and caramel. Liam turned his attention to her nipple, dragging it through his teeth while he massaged the soft flesh of her inner thigh with his rough hand.

Toni moaned against Thomas’ mouth. He pulled away and produced the red, round lollipop. “Open,” he commanded. Toni parted her lips and he slid the smooth candy ball into her mouth. “Suck,” he whispered. Toni locked her eyes on his while she rolled the cherry sucker over her tongue, then pushed it in and out through her lips. Thomas’ stare was riveted on her mouth. The feral hunger in his eyes was exhilarating.