Bad things, worse things and making the best of what you got.
In 25 parts, edited from the works of FinalStand.
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‘‘Suddenly knowing you are about to die, rarely does anyone any good.’‘
‘‘Stand,’‘ Katrina sighed. I stood. ‘‘You gave it your best shot, I know. Do not trouble yourself with doubts, Cáel Nyilas. No attitude you could have taken would have altered her thinking in the slightest.’‘
‘‘Huh?’‘ I mumbled. Katrina looked at me. My grin was infectious. ‘‘Sorry, did you say something? I was visually evaluating their potential as they were leaving the room.’‘ Translation: I was scoping out their muscular asses as they sauntered out the door. Paula and Daphne walked in.
‘‘Cáel, do not talk about your activity yesterday morning, or of the events this morning with anyone,’‘ Katrina ordered.
I nodded. I made for my desk but Katrina stopped me. In the same manner, she requested that Desiree stay. Three minutes before seven, the last new hire arrived, Violet.‘‘Everyone except Desiree, Daphne and Cáel leave the room. I will summon you back in a few minutes,’‘ Katrina commanded. Confused and curious, the other new hires left the room. As the door shut, she had Daphne secure the lock while she drew forth a folded piece of paper which she unfolded and handed to me. Wow, I had never thought I'd see my death sentence yet here it was.
‘‘Read it,’‘ she demanded. Yes, I was boned.
‘‘These are the words of Katrina, daughter of Sedona, granddaughter of Andromeda of the House of Epona, First Bearer of the Sun Spear through the Halls of Night and Death;’‘ followed by a series of awards, accolades and honors I could barely fathom the importance of.
I read it in the language it was written as this was clearly Katrina's intent. Desiree scooted to the edge of the sofa cushion. Daphne's eyes were wide, exhibiting the spectrum of excitement, fear and amazement. She spoke first.
‘‘You got the 'uh' wrong,’‘ Daphne corrected me. ‘‘It is 'Andromadu' in our tongue, not 'Andromeda'.’‘
‘‘Well this makes a few things make a lot more sense,’‘ Desiree mumbled.
‘‘Katrina,’‘ Daphne gulped. ‘‘You didn't teach him, did you?’‘
‘‘No. It was Dr. Kimberly Geisler of Bolingbrook College who taught him; so they could read erotic poetry to one another,’‘ Katrina revealed. ‘‘He was never her student; in a classroom.’‘
‘‘Cáel not only speaks four current languages (French, Spanish, and Russian), he also is fluent in ten dead ones,’‘ Katrina related. ‘‘Dr. Geisler and I had a long chat last night. Once she opened up, she was quite informative and full of praise for our new hire.’‘
Daphne blathered something while looking at me expectantly.
When I didn't respond she became disappointed. Then it hit me.
‘‘You are translating from the Coptic, aren't you?’‘ I questioned.
‘‘Yes,’‘ I had her intense attention once more.
‘‘What you meant to say was 'may the blessed Isis bring understanding with this greeting',’‘ I translated for her into New Kingdom Egyptian.
‘‘Once you get to Coptic you have so much Macedonian/Ptolemaic influence it is far beyond New Kingdom Egyptian,’‘ I added.
‘‘Oh; that makes sense,’‘ Daphne nodded. ‘‘I; uh; thank you.’‘
‘‘Well, if I live I can give you lessons,’‘ I smirked.
‘‘About that,’‘ Desiree stood up. ‘‘Why is he still alive?’‘ What Katrina said surprised me.
‘‘I've waited twelve years to see you smile, Desiree,’‘ she gave her underling a look full of wisdom and compassion.
‘‘Sympathy is nice,’‘ Desiree countered. ‘‘We must be hard to survive.’‘
‘‘Desiree, I wanted you here because you have always opposed my initiative to save our people. Unlike most of us, you have lived fully in their world. Because of our companionship and your knowledge, I have always valued your council. Has nothing changed?’‘ Katrina kept her voice precise and level. Desiree stood up, clearly furious, and took a step toward me.
‘‘You make no sense!’‘ she shouted, pointing at me. A dozen comebacks welled up in my mind yet were discarded as inappropriate.
‘‘I apologize for causing you pain, Desiree,’‘ I met her gaze. Desiree gave a raw, guttural scream of agony and rage. She wasn't bawling, still tears rolled down her cheeks.
‘‘I don't know why you chose me to hear this, Katrina. Our houses are not aligned. Still, if I get a vote, I say we find a way to make this work for us; our people and this directive,’‘ Daphne spoke up.
‘‘Your bravery, wonderful attitude and ability to approach problems with an open mind is why I chose you, Daphne,’‘ Katrina explained.
‘‘How long have you known?’‘ Desiree muttered.
‘‘Tuesday night;’‘ Katrina began.
‘‘Not you, Katrina; my apology. I meant; him,’‘ Desiree interrupted.
‘‘About twenty seconds into the opening prayer at the board meeting,’‘ I tried to look inoffensive.
‘‘He heard the Prayer of Ancestors?’‘ Desiree wailed. ‘‘You haven't even taught me that yet!’‘
‘‘Yes, he did. At the time, I had no idea that he knew our ancestral tongue. On the next recruitment drive we need to find a clever way to figure out if they do speak any dead languages so we can avoid this near-catastrophe,’‘ Katrina said.
‘‘It is only the three; four of us who know?’‘ Daphne asked. I was almost discounted.
‘‘I believe Dr. Geisler suspects something is amiss,’‘ Katrina replied. ‘‘I impressed upon her the need for discretion, plus not to contact Cáel for a week. I need the time to position us properly for when this issue comes out.’‘
‘‘They'll kill him,’‘ Daphne gasped. Wow, Daphne actually cared.
‘‘We cannot save him,’‘ Katrina explained. ‘‘It is not within our power, or mandate. What we must do is figure out a way to make Cáel acceptable to our people.’‘
‘‘Good plan. I like this plan. Why don't you let me go to the armory so I can do some last minute Christmas shopping?’‘ I chuckled. ‘‘I'll be right back.’‘
‘‘If you make it to Christmas,’‘ Desiree sighed, ‘‘I will consent to a date with you.’‘
‘‘Desiree, I think that qualifies as assisted suicide,’‘ I teased. ‘‘If we make it to Christmas Eve, I'll let you push me off the Empire State Building to spare us both that agony.’‘
‘‘That's not nice,’‘ Katrina chided me. ‘‘Desiree is an excellent woman.’‘
‘‘Oh, I agree. My worry is that after one night of passion with her no other woman will compare,’‘ I looked worried. Desiree punched me in the upper arm. I grabbed one of her tits. I'd gone down this road with Buffy and I wasn't going to relent on my sexual stupidity now.
‘‘You are grabbing her breast,’‘ Daphne gasped.
‘‘Ow,’‘ I flinched then evaded her block for another squeeze of breast, ‘‘she's hitting me; Ow; so since she's enjoying herself; Ow; so I'm doing the same; Ow.’‘
‘‘Grow up,’‘ Desiree growled but her eyes were shining with amusement.
‘‘But if I remain a child I'll eventually evoke your mothering instinct,’‘ I snickered.
‘‘Cáel, you do realize that your life is hanging by a thread, don't you?’‘ Daphne gawked.
‘‘Daphne, you would be surprised how many chicks you can pick up with the line 'I laugh at death' when you really mean it,’‘ I smiled.
‘‘Does that actually work?’‘ Daphne was dubious.
‘‘Daphne, I was romantically involved with four different women yesterday, not counting Aya, Europa, Loraine and Desiree,’‘ I enlightened her. I only had sex with three of them. That was only because I am trying to have something approaching a normal relationship with the fourth.’‘
‘‘You screwed Aya's teacher, didn't you?’‘ Desiree glared.
‘‘Umm; I was applying positive incentives to induce Ms. Reichmann into taking special care of Aya,’‘ I elaborated. ‘‘Did I do wrong?’‘
‘‘Cáel, what is going to happen to Aya if Ms. Reichmann becomes upset with you?’‘ Katrina posed.
‘‘School is only going to last two more weeks,’‘ I assured her. ‘‘I can keep things going until then. I mean, eventually she'll hate me; all women do, but I can take care of things for two weeks.’‘ The women around me were curious about the start of that last statement. ‘‘I've had one female friend that lasted more than three months my entire life.’‘
‘‘Why is that?’‘ Daphne asked. ‘‘I like you. You are good-looking, smart and funny if a bit too brutally honest.’‘
‘‘Believe me, juggling eight different romantic entanglements is hellish. Eventually some of them figure out what I'm doing with the others. Then it is Tartarus time,’‘ I sighed.
‘‘What would you do if you discovered that along with having sex with you, I was also having separate liaisons with Violet and Buffy?’‘ I postulated.
‘‘I would be okay with it. You're a male; sex is your primary function,’‘ Daphne related. I had the feeling she'd been waiting to get that last bit off her well-endowed chest.
‘‘What would you do if I was also having a relationship with Rhada?’‘ I tossed out there.
‘‘I'd kill you,’‘ Daphne's certainty pierced me. Good to know.
‘‘Cáel, are you having sexual relations with Rhada?’‘ Katrina prodded.
‘‘I'd rather pull out my shoelaces and go hang myself in your bathroom than discuss that, Katrina,’‘ I stated as I looked down in shame.
‘‘Don't worry about it,’‘ Katrina assured me.
‘‘What!’‘ Desiree snarled. ‘‘He's having sex with Rhada and you want to ignore it?’‘
‘‘Desiree, what do you want me to do? Acknowledge an affair that No ONE wants to acknowledge,’‘ Katrina pointed out. ‘‘It isn't as if he is unaware of the delicacy of the situation, either, or can do anything else to make him more dead.’‘
‘‘Desiree, let the rest know they can come in as you leave,’‘ Katrina concluded the matter. Desiree swept out like an atomic monsoon (I wasn't sure what one would look like; Desiree was otherwise indescribable). Somehow the other new hires figured out that Desiree's primal scowl of outrage was their invitation to return to Katrina's office.
The meeting began the way it always did. Stunningly, Desiree gave me yet another horrific job review. The mockery aimed my way was dampened by the reality that I was involved with something Katrina didn't want me to talk about. Getting Desiree to talk was hopeless so I could see the others ready to pounce on Daphne when we headed out to fulfill our daily cue.
I had Desiree and school duty again. This time, I didn't have a gun. I did get mugged; on the landing. Aya wrapped her arms around me. Thankfully she squealed ‘‘Cáel!’‘ not 'Daddy'. Desiree was impassive. Aya's two sisters were happy, yet more controlled in their enthusiasm.
‘‘I'm glad you showed up,’‘ Europa poked me. ‘‘Pint-sized was freaking out during breakfast.’‘
‘‘I must admit I'm very happy to see you three this morning,’‘ I looking over the back seat and addressed Europa. ‘‘You might want to tell your sister her make-up is very tastefully done.’‘ Loraine attempted a sultry look.
‘‘Wait, are you not talking to me again?’‘ Loraine blinked.
‘‘I'm talking to you, Loraine,’‘ I winked. ‘‘I was teasing.’‘
‘‘Am I still an old hag?’‘ Europa bantered.
‘‘Not sure, Europa. Aya is soaking up all the pretty,’‘ I teased. ‘‘It is so hard to tell.’‘ Fortunately, Europa was a good sport and Aya loved the praise. Less good was;
‘‘Girls, don't look over your shoulders,’‘ I ordered calmly. ‘‘Desiree, a maroon van three cars back. They keep turning with us.’‘
‘‘Test,’‘ Desiree informed me. Saying 'it was a test' was too wordy for her. I didn't bother to ask her if I'd done well, or not.
‘‘Please, please, please,’‘ I begged Desiree. ‘‘Can I have a sunroof and a rocket launcher? Please.’‘
‘‘Grow up,’‘ she grumbled.
‘‘Yes, Mom,’‘ I groaned.
‘‘You are the best,’‘ snickered Europa. ‘‘I wish I could go on dates. Loraine does too; with you,’‘ she got out before Loraine popped her.
‘‘Do I get to be in the room when Loraine has that conversation with her Mother?’‘ I mused.
‘‘Are you going to ask my Mother if you can take me out?’‘ Loraine beamed.
Desiree snorted. I was in for it now.
‘‘Maybe Cáel can ask Momma out on a date and become our real Daddy,’‘ Aya suggested happily. I was going camping with this family. It would solve all my worries about my burial service.
‘‘Momma is too old for Cáel,’‘ Loraine countered. Oh, joy.
‘‘I'm not the best 'first date' material,’‘ I evaded. ‘‘Ah; what is your Momma's name?’‘
‘‘Caitlyn,’‘ Europa provided. ‘‘Does that mean you will ask her out?’‘
‘‘Not necessarily; see, I have the annoying habit of being amorously attracted to every woman I meet, so I'm not very romantically reliable,’‘ I explained.
‘‘Does that mean you are sexually proficient?’‘ Loraine inquired eagerly.
‘‘Does that mean you are a slut?’‘ Europa teased.
‘‘Does that mean you'll sleep with my aunts, too?’‘ Aya wondered.
‘‘It means you are an idiot,’‘ Desiree muttered under her breath.
‘‘I'd like to think so,’‘ to Loraine, ‘‘I hate labels,’‘ to Europa, ‘‘I have no idea,’‘ to Aya, ‘‘and thanks, Des,’‘ to finish things off.
‘‘Maybe we could go on a test date this weekend,’‘ Loraine suggested.
‘‘Why?’‘ I grinned. ‘‘Are trying to see what I would look like 'test' dead?’‘
‘‘No!’‘ Aya blurted out. ‘‘They want you to be Daddies.’‘ Aya had screwed up, most likely relaying with her limited understanding what she'd overheard. Two female family members in the same house, yet no other children. Buffy and Helena; and Desiree being brought back in despite the shame to her prestige aka genetic purity.
‘‘Cáel, she was making stuff up again,’‘ Loraine attempted damage control.
‘‘No, I didn't,’‘ Aya protested. ‘‘I want Cáel to live.’‘
‘‘That can be answered with two questions, Loraine,’‘ I locked eyes with the sixteen year old.
‘‘Cáel; do not do this,’‘ Desiree ordered.
‘‘Sorry, Desiree; I think this falls in the 'I need to know' category,’‘ I defied her. ‘‘Loraine, do malformed female babies get tossed off the cliff alongside all the male babies.’‘ Loraine paled and gulped. Europa looked equally worried. Aya was afraid; afraid of my reaction.
‘‘I apologize, Cáel. This is not something I can talk about,’‘ Loraine murmured.
‘‘This is the point where you decide if I'm a human being, or some servitor creature,’‘ I studied her.
‘‘I can't,’‘ Loraine repeated. I nodded then faced forward. There was silence for a while.
‘‘Cáel, are you upset with us?’‘ Europa inquired nervously. I looked back at her.
‘‘My emotional status is of no relevance to my assignment, Europa,’‘ I replied dead-pan. ‘‘Will there be anything else?’‘
‘‘Why are you acting this way?’‘ Loraine groaned.
‘‘I am a Havenstone employee, Loraine,’‘ I answered.
‘‘I have no instructions to behave in any other fashion. I am sure if I have done anything inappropriate, you may report me to my boss, Desiree, or my department head, Katrina, so that I may be suitably disciplined,’‘ I informed her.
‘‘Please don't talk like that,’‘ Aya sniffled.
‘‘Aya, if I have upset you, please request another Havenstone employee on your next service order,’‘ I said. Aya began bawling. God, she was emotionally volatile.
‘‘Desiree, make him stop,’‘ Loraine pleaded.
‘‘Make him stop what? You don't want a man, you want a cuddly toy with 101 programmed warm, fuzzy responses,’‘ Desiree responded. ‘‘Toys don't go above, beyond, and even against their instructions to do a better job. You are getting exactly what your Mother has requested. You have a Havenstone employee. You can't afford the man who befriended you.’‘
That was more than Desiree coming to my defense. She was trying to teach the children the harsh reality of life. Amazons, due to their conduct toward men, had to think of them as lesser beings. The sickness was more than tossing male and unfit female babies to their death, it was mothers handing their children over to be murdered.
‘‘I apologize, Cáel,’‘ Loraine said softly.
‘‘Okay,’‘ I replied crisply. More silence.
‘‘Are you still angry with us?’‘ Europa asked.
‘‘I can still do my job, if that is what you are worried about,’‘ I told her. Aya wailed. I was starting to feel that Aya had mental issues that went beyond wanting a father.
‘‘Yes,’‘ Loraine finally answered my question. I remained quiet. ‘‘Isn't that what you wanted to know?’‘
‘‘No, Loraine; I wanted you to treat me as if I had some worth in your eyes,’‘ I sighed.
‘‘I love you,’‘ Aya pleaded. I struggled and struggled and only one other societal model made sense.
I turned half-way around to look at the group once more.
‘‘When is the trial?’‘ I probed. No answer. ‘‘At some point as you are growing up, you ladies have to pass some sort of basic test. When is it?’‘ My model was male yet still fit; Sparta.
‘‘How do you know any of this?’‘ Loraine wondered.
‘‘I was actually hired because I'm bright,’‘ I stated in all seriousness, ‘‘along with good looks and being in excellent physical condition.’‘
‘‘Twelve,’‘ Europe filled me in. I didn't need to say anything. The two older sisters shot worried looks Aya's way.
‘‘Your Aunt's are sterile, correct?’‘ now Europa and Loraine flashed quick glances between them.
‘‘Yes,’‘ Loraine muttered. ‘‘How did you; ?’‘
‘‘That's not important. What is important is that I will do my best to stick with Aya as long as I can,’‘ I informed them. I tapped Aya's nose. ‘‘Stop that crying. You are better than that.’‘
‘‘Sorry,’‘ she sniffed.
‘‘No, you 'apologize' to show regret. 'Sorry' is for a flaw,’‘ I reminded Aya. ‘‘Don't go around school telling your classmates I'm a spy either.’‘
‘‘What do I tell them?’‘ Aya gulped.
‘‘Tell them I am not a spy. Insist that I'm not a spy. Loudly declare to everybody who asks that I am not a spy,’‘ I grinned. ‘‘Do you understand?’‘ Aya didn't, but Europa did.
‘‘Aya, by insisting that Cáel isn't a spy no matter what, everyone will believe he's a spy. It is the art of misinformation,’‘ Europa hugged her younger sibling.
‘‘By saying he's not a spy, everyone will think he is a spy?’‘ Aya appeared confused.
‘‘Yes,’‘ Loraine assured her.
‘‘Okay,’‘ Aya accepted the illusion. ‘‘You are still going to marry Momma, right?’‘
‘‘I never said that,’‘ I protested. Aya smiled sweetly. I frowned. She became absolutely cherubic.
‘‘I make no promises,’‘ I turned forward.
‘‘Go for it,’‘ Desiree whispered. ‘‘Caitlyn is only one of Katrina's sisters.’‘ I make a point of trying not to cry in public. I continued to be depressed on how I failed to make crucial connections. Whose family, besides her own, would allow me this close? Damn, I couldn't keep playing catch-up.
‘‘Katrina is your aunt?’‘ I inquired quietly.
‘‘She's my sister,’‘ Desiree stated. Watching Loraine, Europa and Aya acting together helped that make sense. Katrina felt responsible for Desiree in the same way Loraine looked out for Aya. Katrina's Mom had abandoned her when she fled with the man she loved.
When an aunt brought her back, Katrina had stood by the sister she'd never seen before because that was what sisters do. You saw a lot of that in Celtic societies. Epona was a Celtic name; a Goddess in fact.
‘‘If you and Mom go on a date, I can come along as a chaperone,’‘ Loraine offered.
‘‘I'm surprised you even know what a chaperone is,’‘ I grinned back.
‘‘Sure we do,’‘ Europa giggled. ‘‘That's the one who holds the leash.’‘ Loraine blushed furiously.
‘‘Don't say that,’‘ she chided Europa.
‘‘Sis, I think he knows something is going on beyond Aya's Daddy issues,’‘ Europa countered.
‘‘I deny everything,’‘ I proclaimed.
‘‘He is as stupid as he looks,’‘ Desiree volunteered. By the surprised looks of Europa and Loraine, this was as frivolous as they'd ever seen Desiree act.
‘‘That's not true,’‘ Aya protested. ‘‘Cáel is wonderful and he's going to make Momma very happy and be our Daddy.’‘
‘‘Yay,’‘ I said with muted enthusiasm. ‘‘I can envision our first date now.’‘
‘‘Would you mate with my mother?’‘ Europa teased.
‘‘That's not what I'm envisioning. I'm thinking about what my heart looks like, torn from my chest and held up to my dying gaze.’‘
‘‘No,’‘ Aya moaped.
‘‘We are joking, Aya,’‘ Europa hugged her sister. ‘‘We'd never let Momma take a knife with her on a date with Cáel.’‘
‘‘Yes, because fingernails hurt more,’‘ I scoffed. Europa hit me playfully.
‘‘Do you have a girlfriend?’‘ Loraine inquired.
‘‘Yes. I met her on a job with Desiree; sort of; and we went out, ate a light dinner and walked and talked for over an hour afterwards. She's real nice,’‘ I related.
‘‘Did you have sex?’‘ Loraine was a bit distressed.
‘‘Nope. I save the sex for all my other women in my life. No one at Havenstone,’‘ I somewhat lied. ‘‘I'd like to build a substantial rapport with this woman. Hopefully I won't screw it up, like I do every other relationship.’‘
‘‘Are you joking?’‘ Europa prodded.
‘‘No, not in the least. I like women. Women appear to like me,’‘ I shrugged.
‘‘How long does it take you to romance a woman?’‘ Loraine questioned.
‘‘Quickest; three minutes,’‘ I answered. In fact, we were heading for that wonderful woman right now.
‘‘How many women at Havenstone?’‘ Loraine was becoming disillusioned.
‘‘None. Oh God, I am not going to mix work with pleasure,’‘ I swore.
‘‘80 days, Bitch,’‘ Desiree promised.
‘‘80 days?’‘ Europe inquired.
‘‘In 80 days I cease being an intern, so it will no longer be against the rules for a woman at Havenstone to have a sexual relationship with me,’‘ I gulped.
‘‘What are you going to do then?’‘ Loraine asked.
‘‘Hang from the ceiling like a Spider Monkey and watch them try to knock me down with sticks,’‘ I grinned. Europa snickered at the imagery.
‘‘Honestly Loraine, there can be no 'us' until your eighteenth birthday. You are too young,’‘ I explained.
‘‘Are you afraid of our Mother?’‘ Loraine was oddly happier.
‘‘Yes, but fear hasn't stopped me before,’‘ I assured her. ‘‘I am devoid of reason when presented with a pretty face.’‘
‘‘Wait,’‘ Loraine smiled. ‘‘Why isn't something going on between us right now?’‘
‘‘Desiree put a block of C-4 in my underwear. If I misbehave, I'll be half the man I used to be,’‘ I warned them.
‘‘Desiree, please don't blow his weenie off,’‘ Aya requested. Snorts and laughter echoed throughout the car.
‘‘Oh, look,’‘ Desiree sighed in relief. ‘‘We are here.’‘ We'd made it to school again.
‘‘Cáel, would you come with me to class,’‘ Aya begged.
‘‘Cáel, for the love of the Goddess, can you try and make it back in a reasonable time frame,’‘ Desiree scowled. Europa and Loraine studied me inquisitively.
‘‘Cáel, can you come to my homeroom as well?’‘ Loraine teased.
‘‘Me, too,’‘ Europa poked me.
‘‘Give me your homerooms and I'll try to stop by,’‘ I pledged. When we got to Aya's homeroom, I could see that Ulyssa Reichmann was exceedingly excited that I'd returned.
‘‘Aya, I need to talk to your Daddy for a few minutes. We'll be back soon,’‘ Ulyssa announced then proceeded to drag me back to the conference room. She finished a round of pulse-pounding passionate intercourse with;
‘‘Would you like to go out on a date?’‘ Ulyssa 'suggested'.
‘‘I'd really like that,’‘ I responded because, you know, it wasn't like my social calendar wasn't confusing enough already. ‘‘Let's exchange digits and give me a call when you get off work today. Lunch times suck for me. Oh, I should warn you, in my first week here, they've given me the true meaning of working 24/7. I've been called in at 3 a.m. and worked until 10:30 at night; be warned.’‘
‘‘I'm good at all hours,’‘ she purred. ‘‘My roommate and I stay up late all the time.’‘ Please be a guy, please be a guy.
‘‘Is he a nice guy?’‘ I prayed.
‘‘No, Silly,’‘ she kissed me. ‘‘My roommate is my older sister.’‘ Please be a crone, please be a crone. ‘‘Here is a picture of her.’‘ Of course; she was a stone-cold fox.
‘‘What's her fiancé like?’‘ I sobbed internally.
‘‘She just got over a messy break up. She's been very depressed,’‘ Ulyssa informed me. That's what I needed. It wasn't like a gorgeous roommate in need of comfort had every ruined things for me before; except those other five times when things exploded all over the place. ‘‘If you have one, maybe your roommate can double date with us.’‘
‘‘His name is Timothy,’‘ I forced a grin. Asking Timothy to double date with me so I wouldn't end up banging my date's roommate/sister was way out of bounds. I'd ask, proving I really was a sorry human being, but I was feeling bad about it. That had to count for something. We walked closely, side by side, back to her room. I played with Aya.
One bully hadn't gotten the message yesterday and called Aya a freak in my presence. I asked him why he thought he could get away with it. He said his dad was a hotshot lawyer. With a toothy glimmer, I told him that would look nice on his father's tombstone. After all, I didn't hurt kids. I hurt adults; grown-ups like Mom and Dad; the hotshot lawyer.
Aya polished that off by insisting that I wasn't a spy. Absolutely, positively not. What did I do for a living? Aya couldn't talk about it because good people might get killed; good girl. With that settled, I went to Loraine's homeroom. Holy Cow! She had the whole 'Plush Mature Teacher' thing going on, including the spectacles on a chain and hair in a bun.
Her name was Rachel Simpson, 42 and never married. In the classroom, she was aloof, condescending and chilly. Two minutes later her mouth was moaning 'no, no, no' while her body was responding with 'more, more, more'. Had she not pulled me into the custodial closet, I might have been worried about taking liberties.
I'd have to catch Europa's homeroom tomorrow. As it was.
‘‘Sixty-five minutes; God, you are messed up,’‘ Desiree commented as we pulled away.
‘‘What do you tell the security guard when you are just sitting here, waiting?’‘ I asked.
‘‘I tell the guard you are inside fucking your way through the female staff,’‘ Desiree stated.
‘‘And they buy it?’‘ I was aghast.
‘‘She's seen you. She believes it. I hate you,’‘ Desiree answered.
‘‘I apologize?’‘ I looked sheepish.
‘‘Here is her number on the off-chance you are ever bored,’‘ Desiree handed me a torn piece of paper. ‘‘You are a totally contemptible pig.’‘
‘‘I think you are a Saint for putting up with me,’‘ I smiled.
‘‘By all means, please jump out of the car while we are in motion then run through traffic, preferably in front of buses and dump trucks,’‘ Desiree requested.
‘‘Is this your way of suggesting I meet some nice nurses at the closest hospital,’‘ I reposed.
‘‘Die.’‘ We were non-communicative for a few minutes.
‘‘Desiree, I'm tired,’‘ I sighed. ‘‘Please stop the car.’‘
‘‘What;’‘ she started to snap then she saw my face. I was ashen. Reality was catching up. Desiree changed lanes and pulled up to the curb. I got out.
‘‘I'll walk into work,’‘ was all I said before shutting the door. Children and sex aside, I was confronting evil and I couldn't ignore that anymore. My working theory was that, after a century of genetic manipulation, the Amazons were dying out. Sterile women, deformed babies, pre-teen girls with fragile psyches and men bred for pliability and lack of aggression.
The science of genetics dated back to 1866. That would mean roughly seven human generations. In turn, that suggested they already had a fatally poisoned male breeding population and their imperfect application of science made it worse, not better. The dilemma became how to introduce a strong male gene strain into the Amazon breeding population.
What this meant for the now useless breeding males was yet another horror to contemplate. My future involved walking the nearly impossible line between the 'masculine' traits they were looking for without the aggression the Amazon's responded negatively to. I knew I was too aggressive and my survival was mainly through the efforts of Katrina.
I had made progress with a few women and they'd come to accept; no, tolerate; my irreverence. I was still wrestling with that whole mess when I walked into the atrium of Havenstone. I flashed my ID. They security personnel told me to wait, then took me to a side room and relieved me of my badge and phone.
Two security detail ladies replaced the two security guard types then Constanza showed up.
‘‘Come with us,’‘ she ordered.
‘‘No,’‘ I replied. ‘‘I work for Desiree right now.’‘ They didn't say something nice like 'do this or else'. No, they went straight for the stun guns.
My perception was overloaded with pain and I believed I was screaming, but wasn't sure. Before I knew it, I had been rolled over onto my stomach and my hands cuffed behind my back.
‘‘What have I; ?’‘ I got out before they stunned me again.
‘‘Shut up,’‘ Constanza snapped.
‘‘Bitch!’‘ I snarled. They stunned me again. I could no longer stand without assistance. The second I could form words, ‘‘Whores!’‘ came tumbling out. They stunned me again. The points they gained for cruelty they lost to their lack of forward thinking. I really tried to not repeat my insults, but honestly, my mind was too numb by the end for me to be sure.
They slammed me into a chair in front of Elsa's desk. Opening my eyes hurt. My tongue was so bloody and swollen, talking was no longer an option. The echoes of my own screams of pain muffled what Elsa was saying. They jolted me and I spasmed right out of the chair. They picked me up and Elsa; or somebody; said something.
About the time I could make sense of the world again, Elsa clued in to what I had been doing.
‘‘How many times did you stun him?’‘ she barked.
‘‘He kept insulting us,’‘ Constanza answered. ‘‘We made him shut his filthy mouth.’‘
‘‘Did it occur to you he was doing that on purpose?’‘ Elsa seethed.
I giggled. Actually, I made some indescribable noise as I'd bitten my tongue and cheeks repeatedly and the amount of blood in my mouth was getting troublesome. Elsa pushed her chair back and came around her desk. I surprised them all by hurling my body into her. My knees buckled and I fell down before I even left the chair. Someone caught me before I hit the ground.
Elsa's face took over my view. She grabbed my jaw in her right hand and steadied my head.
‘‘You did that on purpose,’‘ she stated. ‘‘It won't do you any good. No one knows you are here and you aren't leaving until I have what I want to know.’‘ I mumbled something. ‘‘What?’‘
‘‘Never surrender,’‘ I worked out, blood drooling passed my lips.
‘‘Fine. Cáel, do you believe I am an honest woman?’‘ Elsa inquired. I had to think about that.
‘‘Ugh; yeah,’‘ I mumbled.
‘‘Good. I'm going to give you a chance because you did behave courageously yesterday,’‘ she congratulated me. ‘‘Tell me what I want to know, or things will become very painful for you.’‘
‘‘O-okay,’‘ I grunted.
‘‘What did you and Katrina discuss over dinner last night?’‘ Elsa asked. I had to think. My next words were crucial.
‘‘I; ah; do you prefer silk sheets, or cotton?’‘ I whispered.
‘‘I understand,’‘ Elsa patted my cheek. She went back to her desk, pulled a dull silver box out then extracted a loaded syringe. ‘‘This is going to hurt a lot.’‘ I didn't struggle. What was the point?
‘‘Man, the penalty for sexual harassment in this corporation is harsher than I thought,’‘ I gasped.
They expedited matters by having Constanza brandish her knife and cut my left coat and shirt sleeves off. Those were brand new too. She expertly tapped for the vein, the needle went in and this cool sensation worked its way up my arm. The promised pain didn't come, so I decided to play against the play. You steeled yourself against pain. It was the rational reaction.
I began humming, keeping my breathing level and relaxed. I chose Bruno Mars' Grenade as my first musical selection. Something about loving a woman destroying a man appealed to this situation. Had I possessed my facilities, I would have realized I had lost them. Elsa kept asking me questions.
I confessed she had sexy eyes; she really did, she had one of top ten asses I'd seen all week and I was dying to see her in her underwear. I had no clue why this drug wasn't working on me. It was a little weird when Elsa transformed into Katrina. She asked me how I was. I asked her if she'd let me breastfeed if we got married. That was my last memory for a while.
I rolled, saw a carpeted floor coming at me and threw out my arms and legs in time not to face-plant. Then I vomited. Here was the pain that Elsa had promised. My gastro-intestinal tract was on fire, the pressure in my head was about explode and if I had a nerve ending that wasn't in agony, it wasn't for a lack of trying.
I managed to roll over farther so I didn't fall into my own vomit. The desert Sun blazing down on me made me cry. My eyelids refused to close; no, they were closed. My eyes were simply that sensitive.
‘‘See,’‘ Elsa said, ‘‘he's alive.’‘
‘‘Thank you for that crisp and unsolicited professional medical opinion,’‘ Katrina purred. ‘‘When I wish you to leave this room, I will let you know.’‘ I wished they would stop screaming. The urge to vomit overcame me. All I got for my troubles was a series of violent dry-heaves. ‘‘Don't, Tessa,’‘ Katrina spoke, ‘‘his trachea and esophagus are inflamed. He might choke on the water.’‘
This time I was able to push up so that I was on my haunches. I didn't feel any better, but I was struggling to project more pride than I could from lying on the floor. There was no conception of time passing. All I knew was that I could make out six people in the room when I motioned for the water. Sure enough, it was Tessa Carmichael giving me a glass.
‘‘Small sips,’‘ Katrina advised me. I did as suggested. My physical abilities were starting to revert to normal.
‘‘Ah, Katrina,’‘ I mumbled, ‘‘did we have a; 'if we were married' moment?’‘ Before she could respond, ‘‘Wait, have I missed picking up the kids?’‘ I blurted out.
‘‘I'm still here, Dummy,’‘ Desiree sneered.
‘‘Thank goodness,’‘ I rasped. ‘‘I'm seeing double and I was terrified there were three of you.’‘
‘‘He's fine,’‘ Desiree addressed the room, ‘‘and you tried to get Katrina to breast-feed you, too.’‘
‘‘Ugh; that's unfortunate,’‘ I looked down. ‘‘Do I still have a job? If so, can I go home and change. I seem to have torn my coat; and my shirt.’‘
‘‘No rest for you yet, Cáel,’‘ Katrina stated. ‘‘Now, Elsa, please hand me your firearm.’‘ My vision was finally doing me some good and that wasn't good. Katrina had an automatic pistol aimed at Elsa's head. Desiree had a pistol in her right hand and was standing by the door. Tessa was by Katrina's desk, her poise indicating displeasure.
Elsa deftly drew her pistol, turned it barrel first and handed it to Katrina. She immediately backed toward me, keeping her pistol leveled at Elsa.
‘‘Cáel, are your hands and eyesight steady?’‘ she inquired. I held out my hands. They were sore, yet level.
‘‘Yes, Katrina,’‘ I answered. She handed me Elsa's pistol.
‘‘Kill her; kill Elsa,’‘ Katrina directed. Elsa's eyes widened, but she held firm. Constanza was less controlled.
‘‘You can't do this,’‘ Constanza gasped. ‘‘He's a male.’‘
‘‘Are you volunteering to take Elsa's place?’‘ Katrina offered. Constanza's mouth gaiped then shut.
‘‘Cáel?’‘ Katrina prodded me.
‘‘Do we even need to go over why this is wrong?’‘ I groaned. My head hurt. ‘‘She didn't try to kill me, Katrina. All she wanted to know was something that was none of her business.’‘
‘‘Okay, so she and her thugs stunned me to Hell and back and I really want to jack-slap her, but I'm not going to shoot her. She was just doing her job; a bit misguided perhaps. Had she wanted me dead, I'd be dead. If she was going against you, Katrina, she would have taken me off site,’‘ I reasoned.
‘‘Besides, unlike those two, I don't attack defenseless people,’‘ I remarked. ‘‘I'm in Executive Services. I'll leave the sleazy stuff to your pathetic skanks in Security. They seem to get off on that kind of thing.’‘ I struggled to my feet, swayed a bit then staggered over to Elsa. ‘‘Here you go, Bitch. Knock yourself out. I've got work to do.’‘ I handed her the gun, grip first.
Elsa took it, stood up and pressed the barrel to my chest.
‘‘I should kill you for your words alone,’‘ Elsa glared. I smiled.
‘‘Go ahead. You may want to note that while I screened Katrina, I left Desiree a clear shot. Go ahead and commit suicide. I'm sure you, me and Constanza will fill a grave nicely,’‘ I smirked.
I looked over to Constanza. ‘‘You don't think Katrina can let you live if Desiree kills Elsa over a male-problem, do you?’‘
‘‘They won't shoot,’‘ Elsa declared. ‘‘You don't understand Havenstone.’‘
‘‘You need to work on your people skills. I know three things of relevance,’‘ I grinned.
‘‘You think less of Desiree for reasons that have nothing to do with her bravery, or competence. You want to kill me yet you'd die for Katrina; which is another reason I didn't shoot you. Finally, I've never lied to you. You are one of the most attractive women I've met here and your ass really is a wondrous work of art; my hand to God,’‘ I swore.
If Elsa had truly liked me, she'd have shot my balls off. As it was, it was the same old refrain; almost. Elsa, whipped the gun down, grabbed the back of my head and initiated a French kiss that would have brought Charlemagne back from the dead. On the plus side, I got to fondle her firm, muscularly perfect ass and bring forth several wanton moans from deep within her core.
‘‘Cáel! To my side,’‘ Desiree snapped. I had to untangle myself from Elsa and man oh man, did she have strong hands. I quick-stepped it to Desiree's side. ‘‘You're hopeless,’‘ she muttered. ‘‘Katrina, I have to get him some fresh clothes.’‘
‘‘Back to the queue, you two,’‘ Katrina dismissed us. Elsa and Constanza watched me leave; my damn ass again.
‘‘You are worthless,’‘ Desiree grumbled as we got onto the elevator.
‘‘Wait; she kissed me. Why is this my fault?’‘ I complained.
‘‘You suddenly forgot how to dodge?’‘ Desiree countered.
‘‘She had a gun on me,’‘ I reposed.
‘‘Fine. You are hopeless and a gutless wonder,’‘ Desiree piled it on.
‘‘You are not jealous, are you?’‘ I teased.
‘‘Don't make me shoot you,’‘ she glared. ‘‘I have a gun this time, too.’‘
‘‘Thank goodness,’‘ I sighed. ‘‘Otherwise I might have told you how I truly felt then kissed you and that would have cost me my job.’‘
‘‘Shut up, or do you want to ride the elevator the rest of the day?’‘ Desiree threatened. I wisely kept my yap zipped. When we got to my apartment, Desiree followed me up for the first time. I was getting in the 'girlfriend has a gun' way, which was stupid because I was already trying to date a cop and then there was the whole Buffy factor.
Her appearance had an unforeseen utility; my new bed and suspension rig had arrived, all courtesy of Havenstone written off as business expenses. It seems Helena and Buffy might not need to get me a new bed after all. That was still 80 days away and I knew how much damage I could do to a bedroom set in only one semester. True, a girl set that mattress on fire, but at least she waited for me to jump off first.
Without comment, Desiree helped me move my old bed out to the hallway, set up and put the sheets on the new bed and finally moved the boxes with the bondage aids onto my bed. I dressed while she watched; old hat; and we finished the hour by taking my old mattress to the curb. Yes, I lived in one of those neighborhoods.
We made the academy with enough awkward time to spare. It was also enough time for that nice school security officer to come by and chat with me. She was Brazilian, divorced with a three year old son. She tried being sultry. I talked about age appropriate boy toys, parks with good playgrounds and asked where the most authentic Brazilian eateries were located.
Seriously, a web search for children's toys takes five minutes. All women want to be seen as desirable in some manner. Mothers want to know you don't find their children to be a turn off. Immigrants want to know you are curious about their cultures. They may love America, but they are also a bit homesick.
Indulging a woman's interests is never wrong; unless you are a sexual deviant like me; then it is plain moronic and self-destructive. She had to hurry off to perform her duties. I leaned against the car while Desiree stared at me.
‘‘Yes?’‘ I sighed.
‘‘She's a former state criminal investigator back home,’‘ Desiree informed me. ‘‘She caught her now ex-husband cheating on her and nearly killed both of them. She was acquitted because he shot her first.’‘
‘‘She kicked both their asses AFTER she was shot?’‘ I gulped.
‘‘In the left shoulder,’‘ Desiree regarded me impassively.
‘‘And you couldn't have brought this up BEFORE I talked with her?’‘ I groaned.
‘‘Oh, you think that was mean; wait until I tell Buffy that you kissed and felt up Elsa,’‘ she continued. ‘‘I don't have to kill you. You'll get any number of women to do it for me.’‘
‘‘Hey, Elsa wasn't my fault,’‘ I griped.
‘‘Who do you think Buffy will believe, me; whom she's known for years, or you; who apparently jumps on anyone who isn't her?’‘ Desiree pointed out.
‘‘I can't believe you are passing up the chance to push me off the Empire State Building,’‘ I sighed. ‘‘Missing an opportunity to make my life unpleasant is so unlike you.’‘
‘‘That's not so,’‘ Desiree sounded oddly sympathetic. ‘‘I get my enjoyment from watching you destroy yourself without me lifting a finger.’‘
‘‘I knew it,’‘ I crowed triumphantly. Desiree appeared annoyed. ‘‘You like to watch me.’‘
‘‘I really should shoot you,’‘ Desiree lowered her head.
‘‘I'll put on a set of deer antlers if that'll put you in the mood,’‘ I offered. She put her hand on the grip of her holstered pistol and glared.
‘‘Daddy,’‘ Aya cried out. Ah, and Ulyssa was with her. If Rachel stepped out, I was a goner. Sometimes I get what I deserve. Most of the time, though, I get away with murder.
Aya mugged me and wouldn't let go until I picked her up and put her on my hip. Her endearing joy helped me deal with her constricting my airways.
‘‘I see you are making Aya a very happy girl,’‘ Ulyssa purred.
‘‘Devotion to education is a passionate endeavor,’‘ I nodded.
With the 'devotion' she showed her forefinger with her lips, I was left praying for a solar eclipse and some bushes to jump behind for a little personal tutoring. Europa's nudge reminded me I had a job I was supposed to be doing. I got the girls settled and winked to Ulyssa before taking my seat as well.
We made it four blocks.
‘‘You are having sex with Ms. Reichmann, aren't you?’‘ Aya peeped. Oh, shit.
‘‘Wait, I heard you had sex with Ms. Simpson this morning?’‘ Loraine gasped. Oh, shit.
‘‘I saw him chatting up that dark-skinned security guard,’‘ Europa teased. Oh, shit; why do I bother?
‘‘Does that mean you can have sex with Mommy now?’‘ Aya exclaimed happily. I openly wept. I was expecting for the older two to pile it on; instead.
‘‘Is that a burn mark on the back of your neck?’‘ Loraine touched the area. ‘‘Are you having kinky sex?’‘ I wept some more.
‘‘No,’‘ Desiree rescued me. ‘‘He had a run-in with Elsa this morning after we dropped you off.’‘
‘‘Elsa? What did she want to talk to you about?’‘ Europa asked. Loraine was still rubbing my neck.
‘‘Not so much talk as torture and drug me in an effort to; OW!’‘ I gasped as Desiree punched me in the ribs.
‘‘That was totally unnecessary,’‘ I grumbled. ‘‘The kids need to be warned; Elsa wants to know how the Wicked Witch stuffed Hansel and Gretel into that oven. I suspect some sinister plot behind her villainous intentions.’‘
‘‘Can we ever believe what you say?’‘ Europa snickered.
‘‘Trust me,’‘ I grinned. ‘‘Truthfulness when dating women is counter-productive.’‘
‘‘Don't listen to him girls,’‘ Desiree told them. ‘‘He's a pig.’‘
‘‘I have more experience successfully dating women than you have,’‘ I provoked Desiree.
‘‘I will shoot you,’‘ Desiree threatened.
‘‘Desiree,’‘ Loraine gasped, ‘‘did you just crack a joke?’‘
‘‘I wasn't joking,’‘ Desiree insisted.
‘‘Cáel, have you ever been shot before?’‘ Europa asked.
‘‘Do you mean 'shot at', or 'shot at and hit'?’‘ I requested.
‘‘You've been shot; hit with a bullet; or arrow?’‘ Aya gulped.
‘‘I have been shot at with a shotgun, but she missed. It was only rock salt anyway,’‘ I informed them. ‘‘I've been stabbed an unhealthy amount. Slapping is a regular occurrence, as are nut-shots and, as obviously exhibited here, being punched.’‘
‘‘Don't die,’‘ Aya pleaded. ‘‘Marry Mommy and she'll keep you safe.’‘ Damn, that child was persistent. I reached back and tweaked her nose.
‘‘Your Mom and I are going to wait a while before we make any commitments, Aya, and you are going to let your Mom tuck you in tonight,’‘ I told her.
‘‘But I don't want to,’‘ Aya frowned. Maybe I had lost my mind and not realized it. Maybe some of that residual electric current Constanza had gifted me with had one last jolt in it.
‘‘How about this; I'll set up a sleeping area at my place and the three of you can come by occasionally and have a sleep over. I'm sure my gay roommate will love it,’‘ I uttered.
‘‘I'd like that,’‘ Loraine perked up. ‘‘Could I sleep in your bed?’‘
‘‘Sure, as long as I'm sleeping somewhere else,’‘ I groaned.
‘‘You are not even making it a challenge,’‘ Desiree muttered. My vanishing life expectancy?
‘‘I'd like to sleep with you,’‘ Aya smiled.
‘‘I think we'd all like to sleep with you, Cáel,’‘ Europa mocked me.
‘‘He's received a brand new bed today. How appropriate,’‘ Desiree added to the mockery.
‘‘I can't wait to tell Mommy,’‘ Aya giggled. ‘‘She'll be so happy.’‘ How did she come up with that delusion? ‘‘When can we come over? Tomorrow? Saturday?’‘
‘‘Oh, I wish I could but; Desiree has me doing errands all weekend long,’‘ I lied.
‘‘That's okay,’‘ Desiree mused. ‘‘You are free Saturday night. You get to go in with Aya and ask her Mom's permission. Good luck, Stud.’‘ I felt that, with my imminent death approaching, I was somehow letting Katrina down.
To add to the bizarre, I knew that Katrina was a big wheel in a cult of diabolical murderers; and I still felt bad for her and her misplaced faith in me. We pulled up in front of the children's home and Desiree let me escort them in; alone. Mom was right there waiting for us. Oh joy.
‘‘Hello Caitlyn Ruger, I am Cáel Nyilas. I humbly request your permission to invite your three daughters to my dwelling Saturday evening for a sleep over,’‘ I politely spoke.
‘‘Very well,’‘ Mom didn't even blink. Perhaps I was still in Elsa's office, my mind broken from an overload of chemical and physical abuse. ‘‘Is there anything else?’‘ I shook my head. Aya was squealing and the other two were stunned. ‘‘Pick them up at six and have them home by two p.m. Sunday.’‘
‘‘Yes, Ma'am; Ms. Caitlyn,’‘ I gulped.
‘‘It is Caitlyn, Cáel,’‘ she gave me a slight upturn of the lips. Fuck! She looked horny!! I liked Aya. That didn't mean I wanted to be her Daddy for real. Marrying Caitlyn was right up there with 'death by multiple girlfriends' in my book.
‘‘Caitlyn, young ladies; I will see you tomorrow morning,’‘ I nodded, turned and left.
‘‘She said 'yes', didn't she?’‘ Desiree gleefully declared when I got back in the car. She actually seemed amused.
‘‘You knew she would,’‘ my eyes bugged out.
‘‘That's right, oh Swami of the Female Psyche,’‘ she drove away.
‘‘I hate you,’‘ I groaned.
‘‘Welcome to my world,’‘ she actually appeared happy. My day wasn't over either. We ran a few more jobs in the cue before quitting time. The second I had exited Katrina's office with my bike clothes, Buffy was on me.
She looked like she'd just learned her jaguar incisor was actually from an ocelot.
‘‘You kissed Elsa,’‘ she hissed. Usually I have sex with a girl then one of her closest friends before they are this angry with me.
‘‘No, I did not,’‘ I insisted. ‘‘She jumped me.’‘
‘‘You grabbed her ass,’‘ Buffy bore down on me. Sure, I was bigger, stronger and could kick her ass in weaponless combat. What mattered was that she had the look of a woman who wouldn't be satisfied until my gonads were in a leather pouch around her neck. Normally I earn this look. I resent it being taken as a freebie.
‘‘That I confess to,’‘ I sighed.
‘‘Why?’‘ she snapped. The new hires were hanging around at a safe distance.
‘‘I hate giving a lame erotic encounter,’‘ I explained. ‘‘If a girl kisses me, I feel it is only appropriate that I make her feel good, too.’‘
‘‘I hate you,’‘ she growled.
‘‘You, Desiree and Elsa,’‘ I shrugged. ‘‘I'm getting used to it around here.’‘
‘‘What are you doing this weekend?’‘ Buffy was growing impatient.
‘‘I already have four dates lined up,’‘ I said. The three kids plus Nikita.
‘‘I hate you,’‘ Buffy snapped. We were on the elevator now. The new hires rushed in before the door closed. I hoped that would buy me some room. I'm an idiot.
‘‘I think we've already discussed that,’‘ I tried to joke. Buffy shoved me into a corner then backed into me, warding off the other women.
Buffy was in real tight pants, had a wonderful body and I hadn't been laid since this morning. I'm not made of stone. I'm not even made of good quality drywall. My hand didn't ask my brain if it was a good idea, or not. Of its own accord, it began rubbing her ass. When groping somebody, if they are going to react in the negative, it will happen in the first second.
They will move away, yell at you, slap you, or all of the above. Opening your legs and pressing against the groper is the opposite of saying 'no'. Our position masked what I was doing from most of the new hires. Tigger was actually leaning against the wall close by and noticed my arm motion. She shot me a curious look. I shrugged to show my confusion.
‘‘I am going to have to tattoo my name on your forehead,’‘ Buffy growled; to both me and Tigger. When the doors opened, I began to slip past the resisting Buffy. ‘‘80 days, Bastard,’‘ she sizzled.
‘‘Someone needs to remind Buffy of her place,’‘ Fabiola remarked a bit too loud.
‘‘My place is riding Cáel until dawn's early light,’‘ Buffy snarled. ‘‘You don't need to worry. A reminder won't be necessary.’‘
‘‘That's not what I;’‘ Fabiola turned on Buffy. Buffy didn't need the headache of explaining why she shoved Fabiola through one of the glass panels at the front of the building.
‘‘Buffy,’‘ I turned on the brunette. I pushed her hair off her shoulders before cupping her ears. My thumbs ran over the front rims while my pinkie tickled the earlobes on both sides. ‘‘I'd really like it if you were the first Havenstone lady I am with. I'm looking forward to it, in fact.’‘
Buffy pressed her body against mine, inhaled my scent deeply and moaned.
‘‘Buffy, perhaps you should seek out another male in the intervening 80 days,’‘ Violet suggested.
‘‘I did. He tried to run away. When I caught him, he curled up in a ball and cried. After that, I wasn't in the mood anymore,’‘ Buffy related.
‘‘That's because you don't know how to make a man behave,’‘ Fabiola sneered.
I got guilty, worried looks all around.
‘‘Crap Fabiola, were you born stupid, or have you grown senile in your two short decades?’‘ Dora sighed.
‘‘It isn't like any of them are going to make it the full 84,’‘ Fabiola responded snootily then stormed off. Another awkward moment.
‘‘Idiocy is neither age nor gender specific. Look at Buffy, she's a fifty year old man dressed up like a woman and she can babble just as incoherently as Fabiola,’‘ I joked as I readied my bike.
‘‘That is something else you are going to have to pay for,’‘ Buffy growled.
‘‘Usually I get a whole lot more pleasure before this level of suffering begins,’‘ I muttered as I pedaled away.
I deviated from my normal path so I could pick up a few specialty items. Nikita called, confirming our date for Friday night. I said I'd be ready. She made the off-handed comment that I didn't need to worry how I dressed. She wasn't ashamed to be seen with me if I was wearing my bike clothes. Ah-huh.
I suggested that it might be easier if I wore a G-string and painted the rest of my clothes on. Laughing, she told me that was Date 3 material. We said our good-byes. The rest of the trip home was uneventful. At my door I found an emotional Rhada. Not the 'rip out your eyes and feed them to you' I'd come to know, love and fear, but a truly distraught woman.
I ushered her inside. While dealing with some domestic stuff, Rhada went to my bedroom. I followed as soon as possible. She wasn't 'playful' so I didn't play.
‘‘What's wrong?’‘ I asked as I sat beside her and put my arm around her shoulder. She stiffened initially then wrapped me in her own arms and hugged me tight.
‘‘I'm going back home tonight and I won't be back for a month,’‘ she sobbed.
‘‘Great,’‘ I shouted. Rhada looked at me, mortally wounded and angry. ‘‘Think of all the great things I can come up with after a whole month to prepare. Oh; you are going to suffer so much when you come back. I'm going to eat it up while you scream.’‘
Blink; blink. ‘‘What makes you think I'll come back here?’‘ she tried to be challenging. She came off more needy/pleading.
‘‘Good idea,’‘ I nodded. ‘‘It will be much more fun if I have to hunt you down. We can do that Night One,’‘ I decided. ‘‘Rape you right out in the open for anyone to see.’‘
Rhada's breathing picked up and she squeezed me tighter.
‘‘See those boxes?’‘ Rhada took a peek. ‘‘Those are the suspension gear so I can hang you from the ceiling. They came in today. I'm going to suspend you about waist height over the bed, apply clamps with weights to your labia and nipples then fuck you up both holes, alternating with a dildo for the hole I'm not using.’‘
‘‘I imagine the pull of those weights swinging around as I screw you is going to be excruciating,’‘ I mused. ‘‘What do you think?’‘
‘‘I think you want to hurt me, break me and finally make me surrender to you. I pledge right now, this is not going to happen Cáel Nyilas,’‘ Rhada mumbled into my chest.
The wrestling ensued, the clothes came off; Rhada had never undressed me before; and she ended up naked and bound spread-eagle on the bed. Along with her ball-gag, I introduced her to my new blindfold and super-efficient sound suppressing ear-protection. I departed to get my 'special tools' for the night. When I came back, Rhada's distress from a lack of stimulation was evident.
I laid out two bottle; on of thick vitamin-rich cream and the other, smooth peanut butter. Then I picked up my first of three secret weapons; kittens. I poured a small dose of cream onto her belly button. Rhada shivered. Then the kitten was placed on her stomach and hip, pointed at the cream. The little bugger was thirsty and took to the cream with gusto.
The little mischief-maker was even kind enough to start flexing his tiny claws. Barring audio and visual input, Rhada's imagination took over. She had no clue what was causing the pleasure/pain. Cream spilled over her chest and the other two kittens joined the buffet. I changed up the cream with the peanut butter.
Rhada was pierced repeatedly with multiple needle-like claws and ravaged by their small, rough tongues. I visited her depths while the kittens licked her fingers and toes with their fierce yet minute peanut butter-seeking tongues. This wasn't the intense torture Rhada was used to. Instead, it was excruciatingly small pains with rasping tongues exciting her skin.
My epipen wasn't needed (I didn't know if she was allergic to cats), I kept the curious kitties away from her vaginal area though my oral attentions and the sounds of the vibrator drew them in repeatedly, and putting a pussycat on each underarm and one licking her lips while I was chewing her clit was something Rhada really enjoyed.
The kittens gave out on me so I put them back in their carrying box. Sadly, I had to return them to the pet store tomorrow; this apartment building had a No Pet policy. When I released Rhada, she had this perplexed look on her face. I hadn't whipped her flesh raw or sent her mind down the paths of soul-screaming agony. No;
‘‘I have a dozen cats at home,’‘ Rhada murmured. ‘‘I'll never be able to look at them the same way again.’‘ I gave a toothy smile. ‘‘You are perverse, evil and unscrupulous,’‘ she glared, then her amusement broke through. She cuddled up against me. ‘‘It was very different; unexpected. I've never read about that kind of torture before.’‘
‘‘Watching you trying to figure out what was going on is a memory I'll treasure, my tasty captive,’‘ I taunted her.
‘‘I'm not tied up anymore,’‘ Rhada growled. We wrestled, I eventually pinned her hands over her head, used my knees to pry her legs apart and infiltrated her.
Rhada's body arched against me, anchored on her hips and head, we penetrated to the maximum. This was still what she wanted most. After she crashed down, I tried to kiss her. She tried to bite my face. My response was to force her wrists into one of my hands. She was strong enough to make that hold very difficult.
Rhada made my fingers work for it without breaking free. With my free hand, I leveraged first one leg then the other to my shoulders. I started assailing her while pushing her legs farther and farther until she was bent in two. My lower body was now balanced on my toes so my hips could rise up higher and dropdown with greater force.
Our faces were centimeters apart. I had come to know that look in her eyes. I released one hand at a time. Rhada linked her fingers in the hair on the back of my head and drove my lips down as hers came up. Her kiss was that of a famished animal gnawing the last bone of our time together. I tried to pull away.
‘‘No,’‘ she moaned.
‘‘I can't get you in trouble, Rhada,’‘ I groaned. ‘‘I know you don't want me,’‘ I lied; she seriously wanted me in her own twisted way. ‘‘I can't risk giving you my offspring until something changes. I will not steal you from Havenstone, but I can't abandon Katrina either. We are stuck for now.’‘
Rhada began wiggling free until she pushed me on my side. She swiveled around until she could take me into her mouth. She kept eye contact with me, partially to see if she was giving me pleasure and partially to establish some sort of psychic bond that lovers theoretically share.
She was giving to me, so I returned the favor; with my fingers. Rhada clearly wanted to keep eye contact. I did dip two fingers into her then lick them dry, repeatedly. Since our earlier escapades had loosened up her, I had to work three digits in to the second knuckle to drive her nuts. She was crying, orgasming and working me over, all at the same time.
She gagged, choked, used too much teeth and I shot-gunned semen deep down her throat. More gagging followed then she spewed my seed over my crotch and thigh. Rhada was devastated. I knew what I had to do. I reached my cum-drenched hand around, grabbed her braid and shoved her face into my thigh.
‘‘Clean me up, Bitch,’‘ I demanded. I got a few urgent licks then a mildly painful bite. ‘‘Slut, I didn't say kiss it; I said lick it. How stupid are you?’‘ Rhada shot me a sizzling flash before getting back to work. I got another bite so I spanked her hard. The next look was searing and orgasmic.
When she finished up, she rolled onto her side, back to me. Rhada's head was down by my thigh, her head resting on her hands. My cheek settled on her hip as I gazed upon her quiet form.
‘‘I'm going to miss this so much,’‘ she sounded completely depressed. So many possible retorts; only one right one.
‘‘If you need to contact me before you can come back, use Katrina. She knows you and I meet, not what we are doing,’‘ I told Rhada. ‘‘She asked and I told her not to. That was the end of that.’‘ She rose onto her ass and leaned her back into me.
‘‘I do not understand you,’‘ she sighed. ‘‘That is part of your appeal.’‘ Pause. ‘‘I must go.’‘
‘‘Do you want to shower first? You still have some cream and peanut butter on you beside the normal semen and sweat,’‘ I suggested. She gave me a curious look then left the bedroom. I joined her in the shower, shared our body warmth until the hot water kicked in then bathed one another.
‘‘You have corrupted another aspect of my life,’‘ Rhada sighed as we dressed. ‘‘Showering is going to be an empty experience without you now.’‘
‘‘Breaking down your resistance is my long-term goal,’‘ I responded matter-of-factly. Rhada shot me a nasty look. ‘‘Just joking. One good look at your naked flesh and all higher brain functions go right out the window.’‘
She finished and stood. So did I. By unspoken agreement, I walked her to her sports car.
‘‘You could be dead, or gone when I get back,’‘ Rhada spun on me suddenly, burying her face in my chest. I could feel her tears. This was getting worse and worse; for both of us.
‘‘Look on the positive side,’‘ I soothed her. ‘‘You've made sure I can never forget you.’‘
‘‘You are useless,’‘ she sniffled. Her kiss was full of her heat and passion. With a roar of more horsepower than could possibly be useful, Rhada pulled away in her performance machine. I turned and returned to my flat. Two minutes later there was a knock at my door. I may have gone to a college in rural New Hampshire, but I grew up in a not-so-nice neighborhood in Chicago.
I checked the spyhole. It was Nikita. Oh, joy. The door swung opened and I motioned for her to come in. I knew that look from my long experience in disappointing women. I shut the door as Nikita took in my residence.
‘‘Her name is Rhada, she is returning to her homeland tonight for a month,’‘ I began.
‘‘She is associated with Havenstone. She is not my boss, in my chain of command, nor are they pimping me out. Rhada showed up Tuesday night and I know we have no future together though she can't accept that,’‘ I related.
‘‘She's good-looking,’‘ Nikita commented after a few moments.
‘‘True and so are you. She stalked me down using corporate resources while you used your police powers. Rhada kicked in my door while you saw fit to stake out my home. I met you at a deli, had a wonderful conversation and enjoyed myself immensely,’‘ I replied. ‘‘I did; other things with her.’‘
‘‘Like?’‘ she rounded on me, still peeved.
‘‘Like none of your business. How would you feel if I talked about our 'almost' relationship with someone else?’‘ I countered.
‘‘Have there been many women for you to brag about?’‘ she interrogated me.
‘‘I didn't go out with you so we could reminisce over my litany of romantic failings, or yours. After all, you were parked outside my place tonight. The experience that led you to do that has to be either embarrassing, or painful. I had an attractive lady show up at my place for sex tonight because that has pretty much been my life for the past four years,’‘ I continued.
‘‘I went out with you because I didn't want you-me-us to be like every other encounter with the opposite sex,’‘ I explained.
‘‘Why should I trust you?’‘ she groaned. ‘‘We aren't even dating and you're cheating on me.’‘
‘‘If life has taught me anything it is that the only men women should trust end up boring them to tears,’‘ I stated.
‘‘That's mortifyingly cynical,’‘ Nikita grimaced.
‘‘Nikita, I've slept with women who were married, divorced, engaged, dating someone else, related to someone I was dating and once, a woman about to take Holy Vows,’‘ I informed her.
‘‘You raped a nun?’‘ she gasped.
‘‘Well, she wasn't a nun yet. She was on the train, heading home one last time, we talked, hit it off and had sex in the bathroom; a few times,’‘ I sighed.
‘‘Oh, God,’‘ she stared at me. ‘‘You are a horrible person.’‘ This would be the point when, if she really thought I was some sort of sexual monster, she'd be walking out the door. She wasn't. They never did.
‘‘I'm trying to change,’‘ I pleaded. Sadly, though I'd used that line countless times before, I truly meant it this time. I'd been on a date and not had sex and that only happened because I exhibited extraordinary will; from my perspective.
‘‘Okay,’‘ she whispered then stepped into my personal space and hugged me. ‘‘I'll help.’‘
Nikita was joining a large and storied sisterhood of women who had tried to save me; from myself. By the gentle rhythm her body was rubbing against me, I could tell I had to get her out before I put something in.
‘‘Nikita,’‘ I put my hands on her shoulders and pushed her away, ‘‘I know this is early in our relationship, but I need a favor?’‘ I started. She was suspicious again. It was her nature.
‘‘I'm have a sleep over Saturday night and;’‘ I continued.
‘‘A sleep over? Only kids have sleep overs,’‘ she interrupted.
‘‘Exactly,’‘ I nodded. ‘‘I have three sisters; nine, thirteen and sixteen coming over for the night and staying through early Sunday afternoon.’‘
‘‘The sixteen year old is hitting on you and you are looking for a visible deterrent,’‘ Nikita mused.
‘‘Pretty much,’‘ I grinned. Aya and her Daddy issues could wait.
‘‘Where would we sleep?’‘ she grinned back.
‘‘On the floor, in my bedroom, on an air mattress,’‘ I told her.
‘‘Do you sleep in the nude?’‘ she poked my chest.
‘‘For the love of God, woman. They are children,’‘ I exclaimed. Yes, I did sleep in the nude. I still had pajamas for things like walking around the place. Nikita patted my cheek.
‘‘Good boy,’‘ she smiled.
Unless the woman doing that is your grandmother, that's an invitation to have sex. I know, a whole bunch of things are seen by me as an invitation by women for me to engage them in intercourse. I am not delusional; this is just how my life works.
To be continued in Part 5
By FinalStand for Literotica.