The Game Master Pt. 02

He thought that finding the cure to the disease that took his father would be the hard part...

Colwyn Smalley never questioned the role he was meant to play. The labels which would define him were assigned before he left primary school: genius; aloof; innovator; driven. After his father was handed a fatal diagnosis, Colwyn swore to find a cure... to save his hero.

He failed.

Haunted by his father's death, he dedicated the next quarter century to fulfilling his vow with barely a passing thought to his own happiness outside of his love for the role-playing games which gave birth to his nickname.

In place of the expected acclaim and jubilation upon revealing that he has miraculously succeeded, he encounters suspicion and corporate politics more interested in riches than saving lives. When he refuses to let his work be hoarded by the wealthy, his employers decide there's only one way to silence him. Framed, imprisoned, and left for dead, Colwyn faces a brutal reality--until an enigmatic being offers him a new path.

Gifted with the unnatural power to force those bent on doing him harm to his will, Colwyn emerges from the ashes of his former life as something far more dangerous than the unassuming, forgettable nerd his foes perceive. Just as Colwyn begins to experiment with his newfound powers, his world is again upended when the woman of his dreams appears at his doorstep. Now Colwyn must choose between getting revenge against those who wronged him, finding a way to bring his long-sought discovery to the world, or, for the first time in his life, pursuing his own happiness - a task which is soon complicated when he discovers that his biggest challenge may be in restraining his new powers, rather than unleashing them.

Packed with sensuality, sharp wit, and a provocative look at power and morality, The Game Master is a contemporary erotic fantasy about a man who sacrificed everything for his quest--only to discover that love was the prize he never knew he was searching for.

Author's note:

I've split this novel into three sections for publication here.

Make no mistake, this novel delves into some weighty subject matter. Trigger warnings for on-page violence and depression.

All sensuality (on page or otherwise) takes place between characters who are eighteen or older.

010100

Colwyn awoke late the next day, having not returned home from Paula's apartment until nearly sunrise. He smiled at the soreness he felt in muscles he had not used in longer than he could remember. He looked over to his phone, and his smile grew wider. He had a text from Paula which she had sent so he would have her number. The contact she had created for herself had her first name and, in the title field, she had written 'a good fuck'. Her message read, "Whitney and I have conferred and decided that you can do that to us whenever you want."

He made his way into his Refuge and began his daily exercise of curating his content. He managed nearly three hours before it occurred to him that he was powerfully bored with the entire exercise. He pushed back from his computer with his task incomplete. He proceeded to the kitchen where he started some coffee.

His phone buzzed in his pocket with the normal glut of notifications that came in after leaving the Refuge. He made an arm for it after finishing his coffee preparation and took it into the dining room. Upon settling in to enjoy the steaming beverage, he began to scroll through his missed calls and texts.

The first that caught his eye was several texts in the group thread with the other members of his gaming group. The gist of the messages was variations on the theme of whether or not the weekly game would resume now that he was no longer enjoying the hospitality of the state. He checked his calendar and saw that the game in question was scheduled to begin in a few short hours. He responded back in the affirmative and flipped over to his online grocery delivery app to arrange for the snacks and beverages he typically provided. He assembled the order quickly and chose the option for delivery as soon as possible. That task complete, he dropped his phone on the counter and proceeded to assess his home's readiness to receive guests. Despite his cleaning ladies coming weekly during his incarceration, he identified a lengthy list of tasks requiring his attention.

An hour later, he closed the door on the closet where he stored his cleaning supplies. He felt a non-insignificant amount of satisfaction at a job well done and was buoyed by the fact that, atypically, the housework had not wiped him out physically. He checked the clock on the wall with a quirked eyebrow, wondering why he hadn't been notified by his security system that his grocery delivery had arrived. He checked the front porch and saw nothing, so he went in search of his phone. Upon locating it, he saw a notification that his order had been cancelled for insufficient funds.

"That can't be right," he muttered.

But his steps quickened as he headed towards his office. Upon arriving, he frowned at the absence of the laptop that normally resided there when he was home. He then remembered that that laptop had been confiscated by his now-former employer. This realization, combined with the cancelled delivery, caused a shiver to make its way lazily down his spine. He booted up his back-up laptop and logged into his banking app.

Thirty minutes later, Colwyn had full measure of just how completely he had miscalculated. In hindsight, it was all perfectly obvious. In fact, he cursed himself for assuming that his comfortable bank account would sustain him during his unemployment. His research had laid bare just how expensive of a life he lived, and how hand-to-mouth of an existence he had allowed himself to fall into. The six-figure balance which had resided in his checking account when he had been incarcerated had finally given its last gasp and fallen on the battlefield in the face of a five-figure mortgage payment, not to mention the three vehicles and numerous other recurring expenses.

He checked his clock and saw that his friends were due to arrive in less than an hour. He regretfully pulled up his texting app and typed out a message saying he needed to cancel as there had been a foul-up with the grocery delivery. He reasoned that it was not an outright untruth and hoped his friends would understand.

He had just started to consider how to solve his money crisis when three texts arrived so close to each other as to seem simultaneous. Each indicated, using suspiciously similar phrasing, that it was long past time that Colwyn cede responsibility for supplies and nothing short of Armageddon, or the release of a new Lord of the Rings movie, would keep them away. Despite his troubles, he smiled at their responses.

His friends arrived a short while later, interrupting Colwyn just as he picked up a piece of paper with a woman's name written on it that must have fallen from his pocket the evening before. He dropped the paper on his bedside table and hurried down to meet his guests.

***

"You enter the deserted-appearing castle just as the first light of dawn kisses the torn flag flying from the peak of the tallest tower," Colwyn intoned sonorously. "As you enter through a raised portcullis, a fetid smell assaults your nostrils. It is eerily quiet as you enter the courtyard. As you begin looking around, you notice a collection of mysterious obelisks strewn around the grounds. These obelisks are nearly opaque. It is impossible to make out any details in the early dawn light."

"Are there any materials about we could use to make a torch?" Zoe asked with a shrug.

Vincent grinned proudly and said, "Excellent idea, Sandre."

"No," Colwyn said with an uncharacteristic apologetic shrug. "The grounds are barren. In fact, the entire castle appears deserted."

Gil said, "Are any of the doors to the interior of the castle unlocked?"

"We're already inside, dumbass," Ross replied quickly.

"Have you ever even seen a castle? The courtyard is inside the walls, but still open to the elements. You have to enter the inside part of the castle via a door from the courtyard. Not all of us are filthy fucking magic users that can do a magic fucking umbrella when we're stuck in a storm all night." Ross shook his head disgustedly and muttered, "Still can't believe that spell was real." He looked to Colwyn and said, "How 'bout it, GM? Any open doors?"

"Yes. A door across from the portcullis opens to the touch. Inside you find a well-stocked armory, provisions & clothing."

"Jackpot!" Vincent exclaimed gleefully. "Load up, everyone."

Ross said, "Wait, I cast a spell of detection to see if the food is safe."

"Roll dee twelve."

Ross rolled, carefully, before announcing, "Nine."

"Your spell reveals the food is poisoned but does not reveal how it was done or what, if anything, eating the food would do to you."

Vincent spat, "Well, shit. I don't suppose Captain Clairvoyant's spell revealed if there was anything wrong with the other provisions or the armor."

Colwyn shook his head before saying, "You hear an inhuman scream outside. Do you investigate or flee?"

Vincent looked around briefly before saying, "Investigate. Weapons at the ready."

"You proceed outside to find a goblin standing on one of the obelisks, waving a sword erratically."

"Attack!"

Colwyn snapped, "Everyone roll dee four."

The group announced, "One." "Two." "Four." "Two."

"Gilgamesh slays the creature with a knife slash to the neck."

Ross said, "Good job, buddy. Who knew a thief would ever come in handy?"

Colwyn looked around conspiratorially before saying, "As you turn your backs to return to the armory, you hear an ominous sound behind you. As you turn, you find a dragon emerging from the carcass of the goblin. It is smaller than the goblin from which it was birthed, but as you watch it begins to grow rapidly."

"I've seen this movie," Vincent muttered.

Colwyn looked at him pleadingly and whispered, "Sorry, I was pressed for time."

"It's cool. I dug that movie. Besides, now I know how to win."

***

"Good game, everyone," Vincent proclaimed as they began packing up their paraphernalia.

"You all did well," Colwyn replied. "But my performance was subpar."

"Hey, man. You just spent, like, a month in prison."

"Forty-two point three six days," Colwyn corrected.

"Even worse. You'd be well within your rights to tell us you were done with playing these silly games."

"Nonsense. This is my favorite thing to do. Well, one of my favorite things."

Vincent's head whipped around to gape at his friend, his mouth dropping open.

Ross said, "I take it things went well with that chick you took home from the bar?"

At this point, it became difficult to differentiate what was said, as everyone chose to speak at once. Zoe's voice then rang out above the rest and said, "I like you guys well enough, but if you stoop to fucking locker-room talk, I'm leaving."

"I don't think that'll be necessary, honey," Vincent offered gently. "But I am interested in what sounds like a fascinating story, minus the sticky bits."

Colwyn shrugged and gestured to Ross and Gil, who proceeded to recount the story of Colwyn coming to Paula's aid the previous evening in whipsaw fashion, each jumping in when the other paused for breath. When they got to the part where Paula chased Colwyn out of the bar, all eyes turned to their host.

He looked around furtively and said, "What?"

Zoe said, "What happened after you left?"

"I drove her to her apartment, after stopping off at the apothecary."

"The what?"

Vincent whispered, "The drug store. One could surmise it was to procure protection."

"Oh," Zoe said blushing. "Then what?"

"After arriving at her apartment, she asked me to engage in coitus and I accepted."

"You spent the night with her?" Ross gushed.

"Well, not as such," Colwyn deflected amicably. "Her neighbor joined us approximately eighty-five minutes after we arrived."

Gil guffawed and said, "You're shitting me!"

"I speak the truth."

Zoe said, "Wait, I want to hear about this girl you rescued."

"She is an adult human female, roughly one-hundred-sixty-three centimeters tall and massing roughly sixty kilograms..."

"Wait," Zoe huffed. "Can non-robots describe her?"

Ross said, "She's hot. Pretty fit, nice tits, spectacular ass."

"I supposed I asked for that," Zoe muttered to Vincent's amusement.

Vincent regarded Colwyn and said, "Any regrets?"

Colwyn appeared thoughtful for a moment before saying, "No. It was a pleasurable evening. Also, quite memorable."

"I'm happy for you, buddy. Truly. You going to see her again? Or her neighbor?"

Zoe elbowed him at this comment, but she did so with a smile.

"Perhaps," Colwyn allowed. "She did indicate she had no desire to forge a formalized social construct between us. Having said that, her text this morning indicated she would be amenable to additional coitus, should our schedules align."

Gil nodded and said, "So, a fuck-buddy?"

Colwyn shrugged in agreement before walking them to the door. As he showed them out for the evening, he noticed a pickup parked across the street from his driveway. He said, "Does that vehicle belong to any of you?"

They all shook their heads. Vincent said, "Why?"

"This is the second time in the last few days I've noticed a strange vehicle parked there. It's probably nothing, but..."

"Want me to go scare him off?"

Vincent made the offer without a hint of mirth. Colwyn also did not doubt the potential effectiveness of the offer, considering that Vincent was the most physically imposing man he had ever met.

Colwyn said, "No, but thank you. I'll keep an eye on them with my surveillance system."

"Ok, but the offer stands. If they're still there later tonight, give me a call and I'll come over with my war hammer."

"You're a true friend," Colwyn said sincerely.

"Same time next week?" Gil asked as he climbed into the passenger seat of Ross's sedan.

"Always," Colwyn replied with a smile.

010101

"I'm sorry, Mr. Smalley," the bank's assistant associate manager, who reminded Colwyn quite keenly of an asthmatic orangutan wheezed without any apparent regret. "Without proof of employment or tangible assets, we cannot consider a loan at this time."

"What about my house? My vehicles?"

"You do not have sufficient equity in your home to use as collateral. And your vehicles are all worth less than you owe on them. I'm very sorry. Next?" The last word was addressed to a worried looking woman in the company of four children too young for primary school.

Colwyn regarded the man intently, noting sullenly that he had a light blue aura, before standing up dejectedly. He wandered over to the supply counter and pretended to fill out a form while he anxiously tried to think of a back-up plan other than liquidating his retirement savings. He knew he had enough provisions on hand to last a week, but his shockingly high mortgage would be due at the end of the month. This said nothing of the even higher payments he would owe for his vehicles. He had known the bank functionary spoke the truth with respect to the cars. He had already investigated the possibility of selling one or more, only to find out it would cost him the equivalent of between five and thirteen monthly payments just to close out the loan.

As he stood there helplessly, he overheard the woman who had taken his place before the bank functionary. Her story was devastating to Colwyn and gave him a moment of pause for how sorry for himself he had been feeling. The woman's husband was in the hospital and his disability insurance payments had yet to arrive. This had left her unable to feed her children unless she took a second job and gave up any hope of visiting her husband in the hospital. Colwyn raged at the way the bank, in the guise of the bejowled chairwarmer, smilingly declared they were unable to offer any type of assistance. The appallingly insincere 'have a nice day' the devastated mother and wife was offered nearly caused Colwyn to resort to violence.

As he silently raged, he noticed a man entering the bank holding his phone away from his face as though he were afraid he would catch a disease from it. The man was speaking with a romantic, or at least sexual, interest, as was plain to hear for anyone in the building due to the speakerphone turned to max volume. He was wearing a track suit with the zipper opened to his navel and had a pair of designer sunglasses perched on his head. His face featured obviously painstakingly sculpted facial hair clearly intended to mimic a certain power-suit wearing billionaire superhero.

Colwyn watched him stroll up to the counter, pausing to leer at the breasts of the teller until she cleared her throat disgustedly. He hung up on the person to whom he was speaking on the phone while she was midsentence and said, "Hey there, sugar tits. I need to make a withdrawal. A rather hefty one, at that. Headed to Vegas this weekend and can't be having the misses knowing what I'm up to, if you catch my drift."

She frowned and said, "Of course, sir. Please swipe your card. How much will you be needing this morning?"

"Twenty grand. And give me a grand in ones, if you catch my drift."

"You will need to speak with the manager to make a withdrawal of that size. Please wait just a moment."

"What the fuck for? It's my fucking money."

"I'll just be a moment."

The teller left without waiting for a response and soon returned with Mr. 'Have a nice day'. The latter said, "I understand you wish to make a large withdrawal. That is no problem whatsoever. I am, however, required to inform you that a withdrawal of that size must be reported."

"I'm counting on it. I'm writing this trip off, mother fucker. Nothing like getting your dick wet on Uncle Sam's dime, if you catch my drift."

The bank manager, showing the first sign of anything approaching humanity since Colwyn had arrived, turned to the teller and said, "Why don't you go on break? I'll handle this."

She nodded her thanks and beat a hasty retreat while her boss nonchalantly extracted the requested money from the drawer before him. As he slowly counted it out, a wild plan popped into Colwyn's head. He studied the man at the counter again. His suspicions confirmed, he retreated to the parking lot.

The man emerged moments later. Colwyn approached him slowly and said, "Excuse me, sir. Might I have a moment of your time?"

"Can't talk. Busy," the man declared as he purposely walked up to Colwyn and came to a stop. "What the fuck?" he stammered as he looked around worriedly.

Colwyn said, "I was hoping I could beg you for a favor." However, as he spoke, he focused all his energy on an entirely different line of silent conversation. After a moment, the man growled menacingly before nodding haltingly.

Colwyn continued, "There is a woman in the orange minivan at the edge of the parking lot who is badly in need of a helping hand. I wondered if you might be so kind as to show her some kindness in the form of fifteen thousand dollars in cash."

The man sneered at Colwyn, but ultimately nodded a final time.

"Splendid. Perhaps while you're in such a giving mood, you could offer me a small gratuity for making you aware of this opportunity to help your fellow citizen."

"Fine," the man snapped before handing Colwyn five-hundred dollars.

Colwyn watched the man knock on the window of the van and, after a brief conversation, hand the woman the instructed amount of money. As the man stalked to a candy-apple red Italian sports car, Colwyn silently instructed him to forget the entire affair and to chalk up the missing cash to gambling losses. As the man raced away, Colwyn could hear the mother sobbing in relief, heedless to her children's perplexed expressions at their mother's change in disposition.

***

The adventure at the bank had left Colwyn completely exhausted. The man he had encountered at the bank's resistance to forgoing his weekend of whoring and gambling had been significant. The effort required to overcome his objections had nearly caused Colwyn to pass out. He had retreated to his house, not even having the energy for a quick stop to replenish his dwindling grocery supplies.

He had fallen into a deep slumber on the couch upon arriving at home, not even making it to his bedroom. When he awoke, it took only one glance outside to know that it was too late to solve his provisions problem. For want of something better to do, he entered his Refuge and began curating his Content. But scarcely an hour after he began, he pushed back from his desk in sheer boredom and fled to his bedroom.

Once there, he spotted a piece of paper on his bedside table. Upon retrieving it, he spotted the name of the woman who had inexplicably framed him for narcotics distribution. He seized upon the mystery the paper promised like a drowning man anxiously grabbing for a life buoy. He carried the paper downstairs and, after collecting a cup of coffee, entered his office and instructed his laptop to waken from its slumber.

He began with a simple Googol search which, not surprisingly considering the woman's short and reasonably common names, returned a massive number of hits. He started with the social media accounts and winnowed them down based on geotagging of photos they had posted being within one-hundred miles of his former office. This left him with three possibilities, but a glance at the photos posted told him none of those three was his quarry. He expanded the locus of his search, but still came up empty. Next, he pivoted to the social networks which were more professionally oriented, as opposed to those dedicated to setting unrealistic expectations for self-image or fomenting a violent insurrection. He struck paydirt on the fifth Heidi Boyd he came across. Her picture was similar enough to his memory, although it was hard to garner much from a headshot, and her hometown matched his own.

He saw that she had worked for his company as a director of marketing until the prior month. Her current employment was listed as a consulting firm. He did some checking on the firm and ascertained that it had but one employee and had started doing business at roughly the same time as Ms. Boyd had graduated from college. The company also had no suggestion of corporate branding or a listing of clients. This struck him as unusual for a consulting firm specializing in marketing, but he also knew that not everyone, himself very much included, paid much mind to social media.

He did some additional digging and found her address, which was only about ten kilometers from his current location. He decided to do a bit of on-site recon to see if he could gather any additional information. He collected his effects and proceeded to the garage. He started to climb into the coupe, but then he remembered that it was low on fuel, and he no longer had a reliable method for procuring more of the currency required to replenish his petroleum supplies. He opted instead for the EV, whose fuel replenishment paradigm did not require he immediately remit payment for the required electrons.

As he pulled out of the garage, he spotted a hatch-back parked in front of his closest neighbor's house. This alone would have been unremarkable, but as he reached the end of his driveway, Colwyn noticed the telltale bloom of a cigarette delivering a slow death to a humanoid shaped figure in the driver's seat. As Colwyn reached the end of the street, he saw the brake lamps of the hatchback flare to life. By the time he reached the entrance to his neighborhood, the car was right behind him.

Colwyn was anxiously trying to convince himself that this turn of events was nothing with which to overly concern himself. But the longer the car stayed right behind him, the more concerned he grew. He began driving around aimlessly, as much to prove to himself that he was being followed as anything. He ducked into parking lots, only to immediately exit again. He stayed stationary after the traffic signal turned green to the count of ten and still the car remained firmly behind him.

The longer this went on, the more Colwyn transitioned from worried to angry. As he approached an intersection where the surface street on which he was driving intersected with a dual carriageway, he decided he had had enough. Coming to a stop at the traffic signal, he glanced around to ensure there were no members of the constabulary in sight. He also used the touch screen on his vehicle to make a few changes.

When the light turned green, he smiled to himself and muttered, "Ludicrous speed... go!"

Colwyn released the brake and his car surged forward like a scalded cheetah. He swerved onto the on-ramp for the dual carriageway and burst onto the empty expressway. Ten and a bit seconds later, he was travelling at two-hundred kilometers per hour and the hatchback was nowhere to be seen. He crossed his fingers, hoping his luck would hold, and maintained his rate of speed until he approached the third exit. Taking the off-ramp, he waited until the last minute before standing on the brakes and turning onto a side street. He made a series of random turns until he was several kilometers from where he had exited the expressway. He then came to a stop in the parking lot of an all-night diner, choosing a dimly lit space before powering down the vehicle and waiting for his heart rate to slow.

Ten minutes later, he had still not spotted any sign of the pursuing vehicle. Or, more importantly, any sign of official notice of his reckless driving. He glanced down at his dashboard and saw that his battery was down to eleven percent, thanks to the aforementioned reckless driving. A quick check of his navigation system informed him this would be insufficient to return to his house. He did, however, have enough charge to reach a charging station. He gave thanks that he had had the foresight to live in a passably modern city which had such amenities. He then powered up his vehicle, quickly turning off all non-essential systems before he carefully drove off in search of more electrons.

010110

Colwyn returned home several hours later, having spent the time while he waited for his vehicle's batteries to recharge shopping for provisions. As he turned onto his street, he noticed yet another car parked in front of his house. But unlike the previous such instances, something struck him as vaguely familiar about the well-traveled sedan. He pulled past it and into his driveway, ensuring that his garage door was shut before he exited his vehicle. He quickly unloaded his groceries and carried them inside. The groceries were left on the counter as he verified that all of the external entry points were locked, and his security system was active.

As he stowed his provisions, he considered his next move. He was loath to call the police, having experienced enough of their jiggery pokery to last a lifetime. But he was at a loss to come up with another reasonable strategy should his unknown stalker turn violent. He also considered, not entirely in jest, Vincent's offer. It would take a serious individual indeed to face down the formidable giant and retain control of their bodily functions.

Colwyn was in the midst of tidying up after himself, the suspicious car outside nearly forgotten until he got a notification from his security system. He gaped at the sight on his phone of a person striding purposefully up his driveway. He glanced around anxiously as if to find some totem which would ward off the ominous visage. He was still frantically searching when he heard the opening strains of the first movement of Holst's Planets suite thundering through the house. Normally, he preferred the piece to a typical doorbell sound, but today the music filled him with foreboding.

He glanced around the house and gave serious thought to just ignoring the doorbell, but ultimately his curiosity won out. He approached the door cautiously, taking a deep breath to calm himself before he opened the door.

"Hi!" the doorbell ringer gasped, as if surprised Colwyn had opened the door at all. "I'm sorry for coming here out of the blue like this. I'm sure you have no idea who I am. This must all seem so crazy. Here it is, not even eight in the morning. You must be getting ready for work; or just getting home from work; or maybe you work remote and you're already working."

Colwyn merely stared at the interloper in rapt fascination. He had never heard a person say so many words, so quickly, and with no apparent semantic content. He could only manage a weak, "No," in response.

"I know it's terrible of me to come here. You probably have no idea who I am."

"No," he repeated.

"No, you don't know who I am?"

"That is a double negative."

"So, yes, you do know who I am? Or, yes, you don't know who I am? It's a simple question. Which is it, yes or no?"

Colwyn winced in confusion before saying, "Your name is Heidi Boyd. You live at..."

"You know where I live? What the hell? Creep." Colwyn gestured to the house behind him in response. She calmed instantly and said, "Point taken. But... still."

"Would you like to come in?"

She looked around, taking in the upper middle-class neighborhood and the upscale interior of Colwyn's house. She apparently decided that the risk of danger to her person was acceptable because she shrugged and flitted around him into the house. He sighed and, after closing and locking the door, followed her into the living room. He found her perched on the edge of the couch, as though on a mission to touch as little as possible in his house. He stood in the entrance of the room awkwardly for a moment as he regarded her intently.

She was dressed demurely. One could even call her outfit intentionally androgynous were it not for her undeniable femininity. She wore a lose fitting pair of jeans and a hoodie which was zipped most of the way up over a black t-shirt. Her head was covered by a baseball cap, having pulled her brunette hair through the aperture at the back. She wore no makeup, yet appeared no less attractive to Colwyn's eyes for its absence. She fidgeted almost absentmindedly, her hands working at the enclosure at the bottom of her hoodie seemingly of their own accord.

She peered up at him nervously and said, "How do you know who I am? Where I live?"

Colwyn shrugged and said, "I was curious about the identity of the person who framed me for a felony which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison."

"Well, I guess we can skip the 'I'm not sure if you remember me' portion of the program."

"Indeed," Colwyn offered, unwilling to offer any hint of compassion for her obvious discomfort until he heard what she had to say.

She sighed and said, "I came here to explain myself, to apologize, and to make amends."

He nodded and said, "Would you like coffee?"

"Hell yes," she gushed as she leapt to her feet.

Colwyn tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to fail to notice the way her breasts moved in response to her action. She noticed his gaze by overtly failing to notice it, standing with her hands on her hips once her bountiful assets came to a rest.

He shook his head and said, "The kitchen is this way."

She followed behind him and watched him gather the necessary paraphernalia. He precisely lined up the coffee grinder, coffee press and electric kettle before pulling the coffee beans from the freezer and some cream from the refrigerator.

He heard the sound of her pulling out one of the bar stools. As she watched him, she said, "You needn't go to all this trouble on my account."

"I don't understand."

"Don't you just have one of those pod machines?"

He scoffed and said, "That's not coffee. That's brown water with caffeine in it."

"Oh really? I happen to like that brown water, as you call it."

"Not for long," Colwyn muttered.

"What?" Heidi replied sharply, but any further response was cut off by Colwyn activating the bean grinder.

She watched with undisguised interest as he heated the water to the desired temperature before pouring it over the ground coffee in the press. He started the timer on the stove and then extracted a pair of mugs from the cabinet.

He said, "Cream and sugar?"

"I'd prefer a zero-calorie sweetener and either non-fat milk or zero-calorie creamer."

He said, "That stuff just makes it taste like pennies."

"Thanks," she huffed. "Now I'll never be able to not think of that when I drink coffee."

"Humor me," he replied without rancor. "I have done extensive testing in this arena. The richness of the appropriate percentage of cream balances the bitterness of the coffee. This eliminates the need for sweetening."

"Have it your way. I'll just skip lunch so I can have some of your perfected coffee."

He made no reply other than handing her a coffee of exactingly prepared perfection. She blew on it briefly before taking a sip as he watched expectantly.

At length, she sighed and said, "Fine. It's delicious. Happy?" He shrugged but made no other response. She said, "I guess that brings us back to the reason for me interrupting your morning."

"Think nothing of it. I was, in fact, attempting to seek you out before I was forced to deal with another matter."

"Why?" she asked guardedly.

"I assure you it's nothing sinister. I merely wanted an explanation. Did you know that my arrest was imminent when you planted the narcotics on me?"

"Yes," she nodded morosely.

"I regret if my behavior toward you, either at the park or at our office, was inappropriate. I certainly meant no offense. I am, however, at a loss to understand why the penalty for merely looking at you was so severe."

"You thought I planted drugs on you because you looked at my stupid tits?"

"I was unable to come up with any other reasonable hypothesis. Q. E. D, Occam's Razor declared that to be the unimpeachable truth of the matter."

"Do you always talk like this?"

He quirked an eyebrow and said, "Like what? I am speaking the same language you are."

"I'm not so sure," she murmured. She then raised her voice and said, "I didn't do it because you looked at my boobs."

"Did you believe that I became inappropriately aroused due to your proximity?"

"What? No!"

"I do not understand. I clearly recall you looking at my groin before calling me an 'asshole' and slapping me."

She shook her head and said, "It was nothing you did, Mr. Smalley."

"Please call me Colwyn."

"It was nothing you did, Colwyn."

"Then... why did you do it."

"Because stupid fucking asshole jerk narcissist tit-grabbing Kurt Renfroe told me to."

He frowned in confusion. "Your opinion of him seems to be in direct contrast to your willingness to do his bidding."

"No shit. I guess you could say my opinion of him has evolved since he forced me into framing you. Listen, I know this doesn't excuse, in the least, my actions. But he promised he would do something for me if I helped him out. I should have known he was a filthy fucking small-dicked shit bag who would never keep his promises."

"Did you quit because he misled you?"

"No," she replied sullenly. "He fired me because I tried to call him out on what he had done. That'll teach me to try to do a deal with the devil."

"I see. What did he promise you?"

"That's not important. There's nothing he could have offered me that would justify me getting you thrown in prison for, what, a month?"

"Forty-two days, eight hours and thirty-seven minutes."

"Even worse," she declared before lowering her voice and muttering, "I am so going to hell."

"What did he promise you?" Colwyn repeated.

"I... I can't tell you that."

"Why not? It seems relevant to the matter at hand. Besides, who knows? I might, upon hearing what it was, decide that my incarceration was a small price to pay."

"Doubtful," she murmured. "If even a tenth of what I've heard about prison is true, then nothing could justify what I did."

"It was... unpleasant."

She stammered, "Did anyone try to... or did they actually..." Colwyn held her gaze unblinkingly. She continued, "Oh shit! It's true, isn't it? I got you thrown in jail and you got... Oh fuck. I can't believe I was a part of you getting brutally raped in prison."

"Not raped," Colwyn offered reasonably. "Merely sexually assaulted."

"Great. Because that's so much better."

"I certainly thought so."

She snickered briefly before immediately covering her mouth with her hand. She snapped, "That's not funny, I know."

"It's a little funny," he allowed, a hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "You can certainly be forgiven for laughing."

"But not for anything else."

"That remains to be determined. You still haven't told me what he promised you."

"Fine. But please understand that I'm not telling you this to justify my behavior. I was so, so wrong. I know that now. I'm only telling you because you're insisting. He said he would get my father into a trial for a new diabetes medicine they've developed which looked super promising to massively improve his quality of life. But, again, I know that's no excuse."

"I don't know," Colwyn began. "It's a pretty good excuse, all things considered."

"No, it isn't. I should have just worked harder. Not tried to cut so many corners. Then I would be further along in my career, and I'd be able to actually afford this damned stuff the same way most people do."

"Don't be absurd," he retorted with a hint of anger. "Those boutique medicines are priced so only the absurdly wealthy can afford them. Before I was fired, I saw a spec sheet for one of the medicines I worked on. It was slated to go to market with a cost of seventeen hundred dollars per unit."

"How many doses is in a unit?"

"One. Seventeen hundred dollars per erection, if you can believe it."

"Amazing what some guys will do to get laid," she replied with a frown. "Well, now you know my flimsy excuse for doing something unforgivably awful to you. I truly am sorry for what I did, Colwyn. I know nothing could ever truly make up for my actions, but I'm here to do whatever it takes to make amends anyway."

"How do you intend to do that?"

She sighed and said, "That's up to you, sir. I'll do whatever it takes to square things between us. I don't have any money, and I likely don't have any skills you would find particularly valuable. But there are other things I could offer you."

"I don't understand," Colwyn replied in genuine confusion. He reached out to take her empty coffee cup, his eyes lingering briefly on her breasts in the process.

She stood from the barstool and slipped off her hoodie. She reached for the hem of her shirt and said, "You could have me..." before pulling the shirt over her head.

010111

"What?" Colwyn exclaimed. "No!"

"Why not?" she huffed angrily as she picked up her hoodie and used it in an attempt to cover herself. "I thought you liked my stupid fat tits, at least."

"Of course, I like them."

"Then why are you being such an asshole?"

Colwyn groaned in frustration and said, "Just because I don't want to allow you to exchange sex with me, which you clearly have no actual interest in, for a clean conscience doesn't mean I don't think you're beautiful."

"Then what? I can't live like this anymore."

Colwyn huffed and said, "Live like what?"

"Hating myself. All the time."

"Because you framed me?"

"Yes! And because I was stupid enough to believe that asshole. Come on, Colwyn. I know you don't know me, other than as the dumb bitch who got you thrown in prison, but I'm begging you. Please let me make this up to you. I'll do anything you want. Anything."

"Very well," he said with a grin spreading across his face.

"Thank you," she exclaimed. She looked pensive for a moment and said, "Will it be sexual in nature? I only ask as a point of clarity, not because I am any less willing."

He shook his head carefully.

She blew out a long breath and said, "I guess I should get dressed then. Do you have a powder room?"

He pointed down the hall before taking her mug and washing it out deliberately along with his own. Not watching her departure was one of the more difficult tasks he had ever undertaken. His first impression of her had been that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever encountered. Having spent the last few minutes talking to her, barely a meter separating them, had done nothing to dissuade him from this sentiment. And the sight of her breasts encased in a sturdy, yet still breathtakingly feminine, bra had literally taken his breath away.

Yet, despite all of these incontrovertible truths, the thought of taking her up on her offer had revolted him. He sincerely hoped his recent liaison with Paula, and Whitney, had not colored his position on this, and that he still would have had the mental fortitude to resist her deeply misguided offer even if he had still been mired in the midst of a multi-decades long dry spell. However, regardless of his motivations, he had no interest in taking her up on her offer, no matter how devastatingly beautiful she was. This left him with the challenging task of refusing her proposal without driving her away. His efforts to brainstorm were interrupted by the sound of Heidi returning from the powder room, now fully dressed. He gave her his best smile and said, "More coffee?"

"No, thank you," she replied quietly before visibly trying to swallow a yawn. Her stomach then growled audibly. She smirked awkwardly and said, "It's been kind of a morning."

"Breakfast then. My treat."

"I couldn't impose on you after everything I've done."

"You're not imposing, Ms. Boyd."

She pursed her lips before saying, "Heidi. Please."

"You're not imposing, Heidi. I invited you, and I am also somewhat hungry as I've been up for most of the night and have yet to eat."

"Why?"

He gave her what he sincerely hoped was his least threatening smile and said, "Come to breakfast with me and I'll tell you."

She sighed and said, "Fine."

He led her into the garage, whereupon she looked around in confusion before saying, "Is your wife home?"

"I am unmarried."

"Then... you know what? It's none of my business. Just tell me which car you'll drive, and I'll follow you."

He indicated the EV and opened the garage door. She hurried down his driveway to her sedan parked by the curb. Colwyn pulled up in front of her and waited for a sign that she was ready to set off. Nothing happened for several minutes. Then, a terrifying electronic caterwauling began emanating from her vehicle. Colwyn sprang from his car to find Heidi frantically banging on the steering wheel. He rushed to the door and mimed for her to lower the window. She shrugged helplessly, the panic in her eyes visible.

She opened the door of the car and yelled, "I can't make it stop!"

He returned to his own car and opened the trunk. He extracted a pair of pliers and some gloves before returning to her car and opening the hood. Moments later, the terrifying racket ceased.

Heidi, who had watched the entire exercise, said, "Disconnect the battery. I should have thought of that."

"I'm sure you would have thought of it had I not been here to distract you. Or the starter motor would have melted."

"Fucking perfect. I can't believe this piece of shit let me down again. Those assholes said they fixed it this time. Listen, Colwyn. I'm going to have to take a raincheck on breakfast. I've got a ton to do today, and now I've also got to figure out a way to fix my stupid fucking car before I can get started."

He shook his head and said, "I doubt you can do much for this car today. And it isn't going anywhere without a tow truck. Why don't you let me help you arrange for that, and then we'll eat while they assess your car?"

"I'm sure you're very busy..."

"Breakfast is all that's currently on my schedule for today. Come on. I suspect I can be more helpful to you than you'd think."

She glanced between the cars several times before sighing and saying, "Fine. Maybe someone will crash into it while we're gone, and I'll be able to collect on the insurance."

After they set off, Heidi was quiet for several moments. Colwyn watched her surreptitiously as he drove. She ran her hands along the interior details of the car in wonder. She then reached out hesitatingly and activated the touch screen.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry."

"It's quite all right. Feel free to explore, as it were. Everyone does it when they first ride in this vehicle, myself included."

"Is it true what they say about these cars?"

"Your question is without referent."

"Do your friends ever give you shit about how you talk?"

He shrugged and said, "Just the other night, my friend's girlfriend, who might also be my friend, indicated that my way of speaking was roughly analogous to a robot."

She smirked and said, "I can see why." She then glanced around and said, "What are we doing here? These guys are assholes."

"Perhaps," Colwyn allowed. "But they are indebted to an acquaintance of mine. I will inform them that I intend to collect on that debt on your behalf."

She grimaced at him and held up the hand closest to him, her index finger extended. "Ok. One, that will never work. Two," she raised a second finger, "these guys will fuck you over even if they bought into such a cockamamie scheme. Three," a third finger joined the first two, "they do terrible work! How do you think I ended up in this position in the first place?"

"I do not doubt that they have mistreated you in the past. I have heard disturbing things about this establishment. But, as I said, I believe I can convince them to make amends."

"Fine," she snapped. "But don't be surprised if they try to grab your tits when you're not looking."

She followed Colwyn inside but hung back a bit as he approached the counter. He could see the eyes of the attendants leering at her. He was surprised at the surge of anger that flooded his body in response to their actions.

He snapped, "Look at me." Surprisingly, both men obeyed instantly without the need on his part for him to repeat the instruction. Colwyn continued, "You failed to properly repair Ms. Boyd's car the last time she was here." One of the men opened his mouth to speak, but Colwyn growled, "I wasn't finished. You will tow her vehicle here post haste. You will then repair all malfunctioning systems, again with all possible speed. When you are finished, you will email this address," he picked up one of their business cards and scribbled down an email address, along with his home address. "No further payment will be required as she has already remitted payment previously, and you failed to adhere to the service contract. Any questions?"

Both men stared at him with undisguised fury, but neither spoke.

Colwyn said, "This work will be done by five PM today or whichever one of you has the best functioning vehicle will sell it to Ms. Boyd for one dollar. She will also be back in an hour, whereupon you will have a loaner vehicle ready for her use, free of charge. You had best get to it."

Neither man's expression softened, but they sprang into action. Colwyn turned to Heidi and said, "I believe this will take them some time. Shall we break our fast?"

Heidi followed him out of the repair shop as though in a haze. When they reached his vehicle, she climbed in numbly. As soon as the doors dropped into place, however, her silence ended abruptly.

"What the hell just happened?"

"I told them to fix your car."

"I saw that, but where in the hell did alpha-Colwyn come from? And how in the hell did it work?"

He shrugged and said, "Some people are just evil by nature. They can't help it any more than you can help being beautiful. Others are evil when the opportunity arises. I suspect the second group is actually more loathsome than the first, but I have yet to gather enough evidence."

She slapped her hand on the dashboard and said, "Slow down, dammit."

Colwyn braked energetically and pulled into an empty office building.

Heidi snickered and said, "I meant, you're throwing a lot at me at once. It wasn't a comment on your driving."

"Oh," Colwyn said with a shy smile before setting off once more.

"Nice to know you'd let a girl out no questions asked, though."

Moments later, they pulled into the diner and Colwyn shut down the vehicle. As they approached the door, he took a quick step forward to open the door for her. She smiled her thanks before proceeding him inside. Once they were seated and had gone through the initial ritual interactions with the server, Heidi slapped her menu down.

She looked around furtively before saying, "Ok. We're here. Now talk."

Colwyn laid his menu on top of hers and said, "What would you like me to say?"

"How. Did. You. Do. That."

He cautiously asked, "At the repair shop?" She nodded emphatically. He shrugged and said, "Sometimes people find me very persuasive."

"Oh really?"

The corner of his mouth twitched, and he said, "I did convince you to have breakfast with me."

"Why, Mr. Robot... are you being charming?"

He frowned and said, "I suspect not."

She reached across the table and took his hand. She said, "I wasn't making fun of you Colwyn. Surprisingly, I think I kind of like hanging out with you."

"Why surprisingly?"

"All I knew about you before this morning was that you did something to piss off Mr. Renfro enough that he tricked me into participating in his scheme to get you thrown in jail. Oh, and the fact that you like boobs."

"Indeed. But you should disabuse yourself of the notion that you were responsible for my incarceration. I was charged with several felonies, all arranged, to a greater or lesser degree, by Kurt. The fact that he co-opted you to participate in one was, ultimately, irrelevant. Had you refused, nothing would have changed for me."

"That's nice of you to say, but that hardly absolves me of responsibility for wronging you. Perhaps it ended up not mattering. But it could have mattered a lot. And I'll never forgive myself for helping him frame you. Especially now that I know you're not even remotely the asshole I was led to believe you were."

Colwyn regarded her intently before saying, "I am unsure how to convince you to forgive yourself. But I hope you believe that I have forgiven you. I would have done considerably more than you did for my father."

Her expression softened and she said, "How long ago did you lose him?"

"Twenty-seven years this April."

"I've very sorry. I lost my mom five years ago. Does it ever get any easier?"

"I miss him very much," Colwyn whispered.

She took his hand, which rested near his coffee cup, and squeezed it reassuringly. He caught her gaze and saw reflected there the pain he had lived with for as long as he could remember.

She said, "He must have been quite a guy."

"The best. What happened to your mother, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Car wreck," Heidi whispered. "Just like you, I miss her every day. I can't tell you how many times I've picked the phone up to tell her something, only to realize that she's gone. But as tough as it was on me and my sister, it just wrecked my dad. He kind of just stopped for a while there. He finally started slowly coming back to us this year, but then he realized that the fact that he stopped taking care of himself for a couple years allowed the stuff my mother was helping him manage go crazy. That's why I was so desperate to get him into this trial. Again, no excuse for what I did, but..."

He reached out to take her hand. When she gazed up at him, her eyes were misted. He said, "I would have done anything for my father, Heidi. Anything. Do not think less of yourself for what you did. You acted out of love. In my book, that is profoundly admirable, regardless of how it affected me."

She gazed at him in wonder for a moment before blinking demonstratively and looking away. She laughed awkwardly and said, "I don't know why you're trying so hard to charm me, Colwyn. You already said you had no wish to have sex with me."

"I said no such thing, Heidi. I only said I had no wish to exchange coitus for your previous actions. I am quite certain I never said I had no desire to be intimate with you. But, perhaps, we could spend more time getting to know each other first? For example, I would be honored if you would join me for dinner this evening."

She nodded solemnly and said, "I'd like that very much."

011000

Colwyn sat before his laptop, staring at the screen intently while he tried very hard to focus on the task at hand. He had always struggled with the more esoteric tasks in life, such as planning and estimating. He had always preferred to just start working and solve problems as they arose. But for the task he was currently contemplating, failure meant something far more significant than just tweaking his code and running the program again.

His screen was filled with a list of tasks and he was busily trying to come up with scenarios in which his intended course of action would result in failure. The plan he was contemplating was too complicated for his taste. There were too many variables. And, with each new variable, the list of possible outcomes expanded by an order of magnitude.

He desperately wished for another person he could use as a sounding board. In fact, he nearly dialed Vincent's number several times for just that purpose. He even gave a brief fleeting thought to calling Heidi. But each time he managed to resist the urge, reminding himself that bringing them into his circle would put both he and them at increased risk.

The thought of Heidi led to him staring up at the ceiling wistfully. Breakfast with her had been nothing short of delightful. She had proven easier, and more pleasurable, to be around and speak with than anyone he could remember. Her way of gently chiding him about his foibles seemed familiar rather than aggravating. The vulnerability she had shown had been both devastating and beautiful. Her mourning of her mother's sudden passing, so in tune with Colwyn's still very present grief about his own father's passing; her love and commitment to her father; her drive to make amends with him, however misguided. He had discussed things with her that he had not thought about in decades, and which he had never voiced to anyone. And it had been effortless rather than feeling like he was being interrogated. His invitation, insistence really, that she join him for dinner had sprung from his lips almost without his knowledge. He had never actually asked a woman out on a date previously, his prior social encounters with the fairer sex always having been at their behest.

His current conundrum rose, in part, from that spur of the moment invitation. He had spent most of his ill-gotten gains from the bank adventure buying groceries and petroleum. If he expected to entertain, and hopefully impress, Heidi at dinner this evening, he would require more funds. This realization as much as anything spurned him into rededicating his focus to the task at hand. He scanned over his plans as though it was a game he was running, looking for all possible pitfalls. After twenty minutes, he admitted his plan was as good as he could hope for given the limited time available. He collected his effects and left the house before he could reconsider.

Several hours later, he was parked in the rundown parking lot of a strip mall located about sixty kilometers from his house. In his lap, he had a flip phone he had purchased during his journey from home. The presence of the phone had been something he had wrestled with, but he had ultimately procured it because his ability was entirely one-way, and he would need some information from his potential targets in order to implement his plan. Across the parking lot from where he sat parked in the shade sat an establishment called Alpha Military Supply Depot. The store was squeezed between a business which sold so-called natural remedies and a massage parlor. Three doors down, there was a packing and shipping business which also rented mailboxes.

Colwyn had spent an hour in a parking lot in a neighboring town, testing the range of his ability before he implemented the main phase. He had started parked one-hundred meters from the front door of a grocery and tried to perceive customers' auras as they came and went. He had moved steadily closer until he was able to reliably perceive the aura of every adult customer. He had also done a few small tests to verify his ability would work at the maximum range. He had hoped his ability would extend beyond fifty meters, but the testing had revealed that his actual reliable range was only ten meters.

Colwyn had already done what he referred to as the pre-work: namely instructing a young man coming out of the massage parlor to rent a mailbox in their own name. He had had to use his burner phone for the first time to allow that man to text him the number and combination of the mailbox he had rented.

This accomplished, he was left with little to do but wait for the next customer of the gun shop to arrive. This happened ten minutes later when a top-of-the-line German sedan pulled up in front of the building. A white-haired man in his sixties hopped out and, after adjusting his belt and ensuring his shirt was untucked, took a step toward the building.

Colwyn quickly instructed the man to stop walking. He then instructed him to text the number for the burner phone with the amount of cash he had on him. A text came in seconds later, informing Colwyn that the man carried four thousand dollars. Colwyn instructed him to walk instead to the shipping store and deposit his cash in the mailbox. He texted back the mailbox number and combination. When the man emerged from the shipping store moments later with a perplexed expression on his face, Colwyn mentally instructed him to forget all that had happened and continue with his day.

An hour later, Colwyn instructed his penultimate victim to purchase an envelope from the shipping store. He was then made to place all of the money currently residing in the mailbox, along with the five-hundred dollars he carried, into the envelope before returning the now sealed envelope to the mailbox. Once he had been compelled to forget the entire affair, Colwyn began looking for his final patsy.

He found him moments later in the guise of a slimy looking man who approached the massage parlor rubbing his hands together in a profoundly disturbing fashion. Colwyn compelled this man to extract the envelope from the mailbox and take it to a petrol station two kilometers away.

Colwyn drove into the gas station and instructed the man, who had just started working at the seal of the envelope, to drop it into his passenger seat. In parting, Colwyn instructed the man to both forget the entire affair and to stop going to massage parlors. He considered it the least he could do after the morning's activities. He waited until the man left before he climbed from his van and removed the stickers he had placed over the license plate to prevent the gun shop's security cameras from reading the number. He then set off to return home. The envelope in his passenger seat contained slightly more than sixteen thousand dollars.

***

"Did you actually end up buying a vehicle from one of those two hyenas because they missed the deadline?" Colwyn asked with a grin as he opened the door to his house Heidi for Heidi.

"No. They said they couldn't fix it because not all the parts had come in yet. But they pleaded with me to accept a rental car, on them, rather than being forced to give up one of their cars."

"Interesting. I would have thought they'd have been more diligent about following my instructions."

"Oh, they were. The one guy was literally in tears because he was due to lose his baby. But I had little interest in driving a muscle car that gets four kilometers per liter, so I agreed to his counteroffer."

He led her into the kitchen and gestured to a barstool. Once she was seated, he returned to the cooktop and said, "I assume you find the rental to your satisfaction? And what of your car?"

She shrugged and said, "The rental is fine. I mean, its really more than fine in that it actually gets me from point A to point B without needing more oil or a new battery. As for my car, it looked like they put a bomb in it. Pieces of it were all over their garage. They were moaning about how it would cost ten times more to fix it than it was actually worth."

Colwyn nodded in agreement of that assessment. "Please let me know if they fail to repair it completely."

"You never did tell me how you managed to convince them to do that."

"I was not being flippant when I said some people find me very convincing."

"Does that include me? Did I only accept your invitation to dinner because you used some kind of magic on me?"

"I certainly hope not," Colwyn replied severely.

"I was joking, Colwyn. Mostly. And your answer wasn't exactly a denial."

"Did you notice the faces of those men in the repair shop?"

"All I usually see of them is their bald spots, since they're staring at my boobs like a couple of teenagers."

"I regret having not instructed them to keep their eyes to themselves," he grumbled. "But I was thinking more of their faces when I was speaking to them. Did they appear eager to follow my instructions?"

"They looked like they wanted to see what you'd look like if they danced a jig on your face."

"Indeed. My point is, they followed my instructions, but they were not happy about it."

"Ok. So?"

"Are you unhappy with respect to your presence here? If so, I hereby command you to leave immediately and never return."

"How very regal," Heidi replied with a smirk. "And no. I am not unhappy to be here."

Colwyn smiled shyly and said, "I am most relieved to hear it. I am very happy you accepted my invitation."

"I am aware, however, that you have once again evaded my question."

"I am unsure of what to say. Some people do what I tell them. Others don't. You, for instance, are most firmly in the latter category."

"How can you tell the difference? Is it just trial and error?"

Colwyn frowned and said, "I'm not sure you want to hear this."

"Come on," she replied loudly. "Why not?"

"Because, if I tell you then you will almost certainly wish to place as much physical distance between us as possible. This will have a catastrophic impact on the evening I have planned for us. I find that potential sequence of events to be most undesirable."

"This evening you've planned out for us," she began with a glint in her eye. "How does it end?"

"I assure you my intention were, and are, totally honorable."

"If I promise not to leave, will you tell me then?"

"I cannot expect you to adhere to such a promise," he huffed exasperatedly. "Therefore, I cannot allow you to make it. Furthermore, I recognize that this evening's agenda has been irreparably altered due to my comments. Perhaps I could beg your indulgence to table this conversation until we have eaten. At least then, when you depart with all possible haste, you won't be forced to seek out sustenance."

"I accept. And, despite your refusal to accept such a promise from me, I offer it willingly, nonetheless. I'm not here because I'm trying to pry your secrets from you, Colwyn."

He frowned. "Then... why are you here?"

"Because I like you. And because I'm hungry. What are we having?"

***

One hundred and fourteen relaxed minutes later, Heidi sank back into her chair in Colwyn's dining room and sighed in contentment. "That was wonderful."

Their meal had been as unhurried as it had been delicious. They sat beside each other in his dining room after she had eschewed the spot on the opposing end of the table that he had laid out. Their conversation had been what Colwyn had always imagined life-long friends would have: never forced, yet somehow never fully waning. They had just finished dessert and were enjoying a glass of wine as dusk faded into darkness outside the bay window.

"I am so pleased you enjoyed it," Colwyn said with a small bow.

"I would have figured you for a steak and potatoes guy. Not grilled salmon with charbroiled brussels sprouts and risotto."

"I also enjoy steak on occasion. But I felt a lighter fare would be better for an intimate dinner."

"I agree wholeheartedly. Thank you, Colwyn. I can't remember the last time I had a meal this delicious."

He smiled shyly and made to get up so he could clear away the dishes. She reached out to take his hand and he stopped as though caught in a trap. She had not grabbed his wrist, or his forearm, as one would when merely trying to arrest someone's movement. She had, instead, taken his hand as one would to walk hand-in-hand with someone they cared for deeply. She rotated her hand around and laced her fingers in with his, clasping him tightly, but not uncomfortably. He glanced up at her in question and she smiled warmly in response.

She said, "I can't remember the last date I went on that was this enjoyable. And that's all due to you. You're quite a gentleman."

"I've had a wonderful time as well," he replied quietly. "And, if I may be so bold, you are a remarkable lady. As for the gentleman part, I sometimes wonder."

"I'll see the doubt you cast upon your own character, and I raise you. I could tell you things about me that would make you run screaming for the hills."

"Don't be preposterous."

"A trade, then. I'd really like to hear about this persuasion you're capable of, Colwyn. How about it? You tell me your secret; I tell you mine?"

"Um..." Colwyn's eyes cast about furtively, as though salvation from this discomfort could be found written on the ceiling.

She squeezed his hand and said, "It's ok. Really. Perhaps we'll get to it on our next date."

"Next?"

"Sure. Unless you're not interested in seeing me again."

"Of course. I mean, of course not." He groaned before continuing, "I would very much like to see you again, Heidi."

She smiled warmly as she released his hand. "I knew what you meant."

She stood and proceeded him to the front door. He helped her into her coat and opened the door for her. He walked her out to the car, savoring the crispness that remained in the air as winter slowly gave way to spring. When they reached her car, she turned and took his hand once more. He gazed at her in wonder, his muscles having inconveniently chosen this moment to lock into place. She smiled warmly at him, her beauty seeming to light up the moonless night.

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek unhurriedly. "Thanks for a wonderful evening, Colwyn. I'll text you later so we can work out what we should do next time."

"I... um... look forward... I mean... I had a wonderful time too... Heidi."

She snickered before bussing his cheek a final time and climbing into the car. As he closed the door behind her, she said, "Good night, Colwyn."

011001

Colwyn arose early the next morning despite having only slept intermittently, the late-night hours having been consumed by constantly replaying every moment of his evening with Heidi. He was, at once, excited and terrified by all that her words, and her behavior, portended. The evening had gone quite well, albeit not quite according to plan. His plan had called for a formal dinner where he would attempt to gently prod her for information which he could use to gain insight into her past, her character and her motivations. Instead, they had simply spent the evening in comfortable conversation. He could not recall a single quantitative fact he had learned about her outside of what could be formulated by a few hours of online research, yet he felt he had somehow garnered a full measure of every part of her that truly mattered.

He had spent the first few hours of his sleeplessness assuming he was obsessing over the evening in search of a mistake he might have made. Yet the text she had sent him upon arriving home asking to see him again, not to mention the kiss she had placed upon his cheek which he was convinced he could still feel, soon made him realize the truth. The prior evening was the best time he could ever remember having, including the fantastical night he had spent with Paula and Whitney.

Colwyn saw to his morning ablutions and then made his way to his kitchen, not giving so much as a passing thought to his Refuge as he walked past the hidden entrance. He prepared coffee for himself, smiling shyly at the memory of Heidi's ridicule of his methods before she begrudgingly admitted his way was better.

He carried the steaming mug into his office and took a seat before commanding his laptop to awaken from its slumber. Once the intransigent machine had finally done as instructed, Colwyn began the painstaking process of scanning through decades worth of emails spread across too many archives to count.

One of the topics Heidi had brought up the previous evening had been Colwyn's employment, or lack thereof. It had come up after he had told her the high points of why he was fired. Her question had been innocent enough, but it had stuck with him until he was driven to action. In hindsight, he could not come up with a reasonable excuse for the fact that he had remained unemployed. At first, it had seemed reasonable to take a break following the horrors of prison. But, as the days wore on, he had been at a loss to find ways to fill the hours which had previously been consumed by work. He knew instinctively that he no longer desired the type of all-consuming job he had pursued in the run up to making his discovery. But he knew now that he needed to work, both in exchange for the currency vital to survive in the world and because it was an indelible part of who he was. He had worked full-time, in one way or another, since even before his father passed away. This brief layoff had made it clear that he could no more stop working than he could stop breathing.

He continued scanning through his email until he built up a list of twenty former students or colleagues that he had known in academia. They all stood out in his memory for two reasons: they were all exceptionally bright; and they had all left academia before him in search of work in the private sector. He crafted a form letter in which he stated that he had ended his affiliation with his prior company and was in search of new employment. He was careful to not include any outright falsehoods while also trying to downplay the details of how things had ended with Renfro Pharmaceuticals. He did, however, specify that he was looking to branch out from the pharmaceutical industry. He had no wish to tickle the foot of the sleeping dragon, no matter what abilities he had been granted. He was quite certain that, in this case, discretion was the better part of valor.

Seven minutes after he hit send on the email, his phone rang. He picked up the device and saw that it was from an unknown number in Virginia. He was normally loath to answer his phone unless he knew the identity of the caller, but the timing was too coincidental to ignore.

He hit answer and said, "Which prime number is closest to twenty-one twelve?"

The person on the other end of the phone chuckled and said, "That's a trick question. No need to ask you to prove your bona fides, Colwyn."

"Who is this?"

"Brian Peart. I was your TA... what was it... six years ago? I'm guessing you emailed more than just me."

"I thought it would be prudent," Colwyn replied carefully.

"No biggie. Listen, buddy. I haven't talked to anyone else with my firm about this yet, but I wanted to call you back right away. I can nearly guarantee we could make you very happy. How do you feel about travel?"

"I could be persuaded to travel infrequently, but my preference would be working either locally or remotely. Who do you work for?"

"All sorts of people. I'm based out of DC and do work all over the northern hemisphere. You ever manage to crack that AI nut you were struggling with when I graduated?"

"Yes," Colwyn replied simply.

"I should have guessed. How come I never saw anything about it in any of your normal go-to's for publishing your work."

"I opted instead for the private sector."

Colwyn heard a barely perceptible pause before his old acquaintance said, "You retain the patent?"

"Of course. For that, and for everything else I ever created."

"It's good to be the king. Or, in your case, the unquestioned smartest guy on the planet."

"That is almost certainly an exaggeration."

"The fact that you can't say it's definitely an exaggeration tells me all I need to know. I gather you've got some kind of non-compete preventing you from working in pharma. Anything else we need to know about?"

"Nothing springs to mind. What kind of work do you do?"

"Data science mostly: big data; machine learning; predictive analytics; that kind of stuff. We tell people when they'll go out of business if they do the dumb thing they've got their heart set on, regardless of what the smart people tell them. You'd find it all pretty elementary, but people pay out the ass for it. And, you can patent any algorithms you invent. Couple of those will have you making more money than you know what to do with. Let me talk to my boss and I'll get back to you today."

"Thank you, Brian. I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly."

"Think nothing of it. Thanks for reaching out. Just promise me you won't sign with anyone else until we can make a competitive offer. Talk soon."

Colwyn stared in wonder at his phone, not quite certain if he was capable of believing that someone was literally begging him to work for them. He only had moments to ponder this turn of events before his phone rang again, this time from Ireland.

***

Five hours later, Colwyn had had five other conversations remarkably similar to the one he had had with Brian. Each former student or co-worker had declared that he was a perfect fit for their company and said they would get back to him shortly with more details. He had already received one outright job offer, from Brian's firm, which sounded ideal. He would only need to travel one week a month, otherwise working from home. He would also be paid almost as much as his previous employment, but the potential for additional revenue through both profit sharing and the potential to patent and resell anything he invented drove the potential compensation to almost unfathomable levels. He was busy searching online for white papers on data science when his phone rang again.

He saw it was from a local number and picked it up without hesitation. "Yes?"

"I bet you thought I'd forgotten about you, didn't you?"

"Pardon?"

"Pardon?" the familiar voice mocked ruthlessly.

"Who is this?"

"Have you already forgotten your old pal, Kurt? I'm hurt, buddy."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Au contraire," Kurt replied nastily. "Word on the street is that you're looking for work. I'm not sure how you got out of prison, but you can't think we'd ever let you go to work for one of our competitors. Trust me fat boy, there are far worse things out there than prison."

"Are you threatening me? I'll have you know; this line is being recorded," Colwyn bluffed.

"Of course, I'm not threatening you. Merely reminding you of the legally binding agreement which exists between yourself, and my company. And, while I'm busy offering you super friendly, and helpful, reminders, I should also point out that our legal department consists of over one-hundred lawyers whose sole purpose in life is doing whatever the fuck I tell them to do. How many lawyers do you have at your beck and call?"

Colwyn groaned inwardly and said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I never signed any..."

"Yes you most certainly did, you obnoxious fuck. You may not have signed the papers the day you were fired for cause, but you definitely signed them when you were hired. You cannot work for another firm in the same industry for ten years after leaving our most generous employ."

"Those were invalidated when you fired me without cause."

"I think not. You stole from us. Perhaps you remember, you went to jail for it."

"You framed me for that."

"I did no such thing," Kurt exclaimed piously. "You are guilty of theft of corporate property because you used company resources in a non-approved manner. Furthermore, you never turned over the work you claimed to have done. You're twice guilty of theft. You're firing was completely justified. Thus, your non-compete is totally enforceable. And don't think that I haven't told everyone who called me today for a reference about what a truly terrible employee you are."

"That's slander," Colwyn retorted, more out of a sense of justice than a belief that it would do any good. He had a sudden inspiration and said, "You will leave me alone, Kurt. Furthermore, you will forget we ever met and if anyone ever mentions my name, you will insist we are strangers."

"You wish. Stay out of my business, Smalley. Or I'll make you wish you'd never been born."

The phone slammed in Colwyn's ear before he could make a reply.

Colwyn sighed and muttered, "I guess that answers that. Line of sight only."

He opened his email and responded back to Brian with two words: I accept.

He then got up and walked around his house to clear his head. A small voice in a dark corner of his subconscious suggested he seek solace in his Refuge. But the thought turned his stomach. Instead, he pulled out his phone and re-read the last text he had received from Heidi which listed her suggestions for their next date.

He quickly typed out a response, ranking her suggestions in the order which he believed, in his limited understanding of her, most closely aligned with her interests. He followed this up with a brief inquiry as to the quality of her day. He nearly dropped his phone when, as he watched the bubbles which indicated she was actively replying appear and disappear for the fourth time, his phone suddenly rang.

"Are you busy?" Heidi asked brightly.

"I couldn't imagine anything which could take precedence over you."

"You say the sweetest things. So... how's your day?"

"Nominal," he replied in his standard fashion, but a small voice, which sounded not unlike his mother, prompted him to elaborate. "I have had both positive and negative experiences today. I have procured employment, but the search for said employment resulted in an unpleasant conversation with Kurt."

"Well, then I'm happy and sad for you."

He shrugged before immediately feeling foolish upon realizing she was unable to see him. He winced and said, "How about you?"

"I guess you could say I arrived at the same middle-of-the-road place as you, just without the highs and lows to average it out. I'm having a bit more trouble in my job search than you apparently had."

"I thought you ran your own firm."

"That's just some shit I put online so it doesn't look like I'm unemployed. I've got an offer with a local company. I'd just rather not take it."

"Are they more morally repugnant than our last employer?"

"No," she laughed. "The company's great. It's just about three levels below where I was before I got fired. Kinda feels like starting over. Know what I mean?"

"I do. Perhaps I could reach out to my contacts, many of whom were very anxious to speak with me today, and see if any of them are looking for someone with your particular set of skills."

"You'd do that for me?" she enthused.

"Of course. I would do anything in my power to make you happy."

The line was silent for long enough that Colwyn pulled his phone from his ear to ensure the connection had not been interrupted. He stammered, "I apologize if I overstepped."

"Jesus. You say the nicest thing any guy's ever said to me and you think I'm offended? I'm touched, Colwyn. Truly."

"Think nothing of it. I will make inquiries on your behalf."

She was silent again for a few moments before she said, "So... you want to go out to eat for our next date? Think we should sit in a darkened corner so we can make out?"

Colwyn chuckled good naturedly to mask his bewilderment as to her level of sincerity. But there was no doubting that she was happy, and that he had had a hand in making that a reality.

011010

"You really didn't have to pick me up, Colwyn," Heidi said by way of greeting as she opened the door to her apartment. "I told you those jackals fixed my car, finally."

"I believed you," he answered seriously. "I just felt like this was something I should do."

"Because you were born with a penis, and I wasn't?"

"Genitalia has very little to do with being a gentleman. Or a lady. I did not pick you up because I thought you incapable of driving yourself, or because I felt our societal contract required it. I did it because I like doing nice things for you. It is a goodness."

She laid a hand on his arm, arresting his progress as surely as she would have done using a grappling gun. He looked back to see her brilliant smile pointed in his direction. She said, "In that case I accept your gesture in the spirit in which it was offered."

They continued on to his coupe, which was parked a few rows back in the parking lot so Colwyn could ensure a buffer between it and the other vehicles.

Heidi said, "I know it would be gauche to ask how much it cost. But can you tell me what its zero to one-hundred time is? Or its top speed?"

"A bit under four seconds and a bit more than three-hundred and twenty, respectively. But that isn't why I bought it. There's just something special about driving a hand-built British grand tourer. Want to give it a try?"

"Yeah, right," she scoffed.

"I'm quite serious," he replied quickly before extracting is keys and placing them in her hand.

"Colwyn! I can't drive your car."

"Why not? I was under the impression you were fully licensed to operate a motor vehicle in this jurisdiction."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

He smiled and said, "Then, enlighten me."

"Your car costs more than everything I own combined. By a lot."

"Don't be troubled by that. The bank owns most of it. In any case, its fully insured. If you do not wish to drive it, then say so. But you need not worry about the vehicle itself, or that I am merely engaging in some kind of ritual targeted at manipulating you. I trust you, Heidi. And, if something should occur, I am certain it will not be due to your negligence. I would very much like to see you drive it."

She sighed severely before whispering, "You're a hard man to figure out," as she climbed into the driver's seat.

He sat in the passenger seat and said, "How so?"

She took a moment to adjust her seat before answering. "Does this gentleman schtick work on all the girls?"

He said, "The ignition is on the center console, behind the gear selector."

"That didn't answer my question, Colwyn. Pretending to be someone you're not won't get you in my pants."

"I cannot answer your question, Heidi. I have no relevant data."

"What does that mean?"

"I have spent, as near as makes no difference, my entire life in search of a singular objective. I allowed myself to believe that it was reasonable to pursue that goal, to the exclusion of all else. I am also able to admit, with the benefit of hindsight, that I chose this path because it was less... uncomfortable. Thus, I have no basis of comparison. That being said, I swear I am not trying to deceive you."

Her gaze bored into him as though she was capable of perceiving every secret he had ever held. At length, she said, "I see. Or, at least, I think I do. Tell you what? I'll do my best to stop looking at you through the lens of my torrid history of failed relationships. I really like you Colwyn, and I don't want you to think I don't want to continue this conversation. I just want to do it where I can see your eyes. Shall we head to dinner?"

He answered by gesturing out the front windshield.

She started up the car and, in spite of the anxiousness gnawing at him with respect to their aborted conversation, he could not help but smile in response to the almost orgasmic moan which escaped her lips when the coupe's V-twelve purred to life.

***

"I propose a game," Heidi said after they had been seated in the highly rated, yet unpretentious, local eatery.

"I suspect our notion of games may differ somewhat," Colwyn offered carefully.

"See? That right there. That's what I'm talking about. You seem to be a wonderful guy, yet I know very little about you. I suspect the same is true in the other direction."

Colwyn nodded before saying, "So, what do you propose?"

"Nothing so juvenile as truth-or-dare, I assure you," she replied brightly. "We just talk. You know: ask each other questions; answer questions; share amusing anecdotes; divulge your deepest darkest secrets. The only rule is that you have to tell the truth. Except, since this is just our second date, we each get one skip."

"I believe I understand the ground rules. Very well, I accept."

"Great! Why don't you go first? Ask me something you've been dying to know."

Colwyn thought for several moments without speaking. At length, Heidi said, "Hey, you still with me?"

"Yes. I am just trying to determine the optimum question."

"Colwyn, it doesn't have to be perfect. Stop trying to engineer our date and just enjoy yourself. Why don't I start? What's the most fun you've ever had with your clothes on?"

"I traveled to Florida to watch the launch of the final space shuttle and then stayed there so I could also watch the landing. It was incredible to observe such a milestone, not to mention awe inspiring. Especially the launch. At first, all you see is the shuttle on the launchpad. Even with binoculars, it was tiny since we were made to watch from so far away. But, when the engines ignited, the plume of smoke was immense. And when the wall of sound hit us, it was quite literally breathtaking."

"That's awesome. Who'd you go with?"

"My mother," he replied simply. "She lives in the area and was eager to find an activity we could do together."

"Do you make it down there often?"

"No. Certainly not as often as she would prefer. Until very recently, I told her I was too busy."

She nodded knowingly and said, "For me, it was when my girlfriend and I were backpacking around Europe. We met up with a couple of guys one day in Budapest and they convinced us to take an overnight train to Sochi to watch a world cup game. I couldn't have given two shits about soccer, but it was incredible. I'll never forget it."

"I can scarcely imagine. How long did your relationship with the man you met last?"

"Three days. We had a lot of fun, both in and out of bed, but Naomi and I wanted to head north to see Scotland and they wanted to head south to see Egypt. So, we parted on good terms. C'est la vie. How about you, any interesting hook-ups while traveling?"

"Not as such," he allowed hesitantly.

"Hey, that's against the rules."

He huffed and said, "My history with intimacy is nothing like yours."

"Are you calling me a slut?" she snapped, a sour expression settling onto her face.

"No!" he responded quickly, and a bit louder than he had intended. "Never. I am not casting aspersions on your past, Heidi. Far from it. You see, I've only had three intimate partners, although the word partner might be a stretch seeing as how none of those liaisons lasted more than a single evening."

"Oh," she replied prior to her face transitioning through a motley array of different expressions. Colwyn tried to keep up; catching amazement, suspicion doubt and pity along the way but he was certain he missed at least a couple. "Three?" she appended finally.

He said, "I swear it to be true. As I said, I dedicated my life to a singular objective. I did not seek a monastic life from the outset, but after several awkward confrontations and one outright embarrassing episode, it became quite easy to focus my attentions elsewhere. But you needn't pity me. I am responsible for the course my life has taken. No one else. And, all things considered, I am feeling rather pleased with those choices at present."

"How so?"

"They led me to this moment; sitting in a delightful restaurant, having an engaging conversation with a beautiful woman who has, for reasons which have yet to become clear, agreed to accompany me for the evening."

She smiled shyly and said, "I'll drink to that." She raised her wine glass and said, "To engaging conversations."

"Here, here," Colwyn said, gently clinking his glass against hers.

She finished off her glass with a flourish and said, "Your turn to ask a question. Please, ask it about something really embarrassing, if only to balance the scales."

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again as he thought better of his question.

She said, "I saw that. No holding back, the cringier, the better. And I'll know if you're fibbing."

"Very well, but only because you insisted. Why do you dislike your breasts?"

She chuckled and said, "Wanna trade? I'm sure you'd love playing with them for a while, but they'd get old real quick. But, in all seriousness, it's not just the back pain or the hyenas leering at them all the time, present company excluded."

"We both know that is untrue."

"Sure, the first time we met you might have gawked a bit. However, ever since we've been properly introduced, you've been a perfect gentleman. But, as I said, it's more than that. They're a constant reminder of the fact that I've let myself go since college."

Colwyn huffed, "Surely, you can't be serious."

"I am serious, and don't call me Shirly," she laughed openly before continuing, "I am serious. I was two cup sizes smaller in college, and about ten kilos lighter. These things are like the harbinger of doom, reminding me I should be skipping breakfast and having a salad for dinner." She gestured at the prime rib on her plate to emphasize her point.

"You can't think that you are anything other than exquisite," Colwyn gaped. "The first time I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Nothing which has transpired in the interim has done anything to dissuade me from this opinion. You are perfect just as you are. Take it from me. I happen to be an expert on bodily storage of excess potential energy. And I out mass you by at least fifty kilos."

"I happen to think you're incredibly handsome, sir. And I appreciate the compliment."

At this point, Colwyn became aware of a disturbance near the front of the restaurant. He looked up to spot a vaguely familiar looking man headed in their direction. He was content to ignore him, but the man walked right up to their table and sat down.

"Um... hello?" Heidi stammered.

"Cole! My man. What's happening?"

"That's not my name," Colwyn growled.

"Don't tell me you don't remember me, buddy. Jack? Decker? From high school?"

Colwyn studied the man again. He was stoop shouldered and rail thin, appearing not unlike someone who was quite ill. He had unkempt brown hair and tobacco stains on his fingers. His grin was unsettlingly friendly, as though he was not quite right in the head. He was also, unmistakably, the same Jack Decker Colwyn had known, and ultimately not particularly liked, in high school.

"The lady and I are enjoying our evening together," Colwyn replied with steel in his voice. "And you're interrupting."

"Is this any way to treat an old friend? I was just walking by this nice restaurant, and I spotted my old, dear friend Colwyn in the company of a very pretty lady. I just had to stop in and say hi. Can't say I remember you ever having any luck with the ladies back in high school, though. Especially not a smoke show like this. Does she charge by the hour?"

"You will apologize to the lady," Colwyn growled menacingly. "You will then, to prove the sincerity of your apology, punch yourself in the testicles as hard as you can, but not make so much as a peep so the other diners are not disturbed. Finally, you will leave this place immediately and never return."

"Colwyn," Heidi stammered. "That's not..."

"Do it," Colwyn snarled at Jack.

Jack glared at him with rage filled eyes before turning to Heidi and saying. "I apologize for my behavior. I have no excuse." He then scooted his chair back and slammed his right fist into his groin. He took a moment to compose himself before limping in the direction of the front door.

Colwyn turned to Heidi and said, 'I also apologize, both for his behavior and for interrupting you. I felt it necessary to respond to his boorish behavior, but that does not excuse my actions."

Heidi frowned before saying, "You don't need to apologize, Colwyn. You definitely need to tell me how you did it, but no apology is necessary. Are you finished eating?"

Colwyn nodded and dropped a few hundred dollars on the table before standing.

"I thought tonight was my turn," Heidi complained.

"As I said," Colwyn responded as he offered her his arm. "It is my honor to treat you as a lady. And it is my honor to pay for dinner."

She sighed resignedly before accepting his arm. As he led her through the restaurant, she was forced to move quite close to him as they navigated the narrow spaces between the tables. As she did, he was very aware of the fullness of her breast where it pushed up against his arm. However, the exquisite feeling of the way her body felt against him paled in comparison to the angst which was raging through him in response to the conviction that his behavior toward Jack had ruined their evening. He had been so certain that things had been going well. He had admitted things to her, without hesitation, that very few other people knew. But rather than responding by looking for any reasonable escape, she had instead accepted each new fact without comment or apparent judgement.

Things had been going far better than he could have hoped for until Jack had shown up and said such vile things about Heidi. Colwyn had calmed down enough by this point to see that he had lost his temper, at the interruption in general and at Jack's accusation in particular. This had led him to cutting Heidi off, even ignoring her opinion, in pursuit of vengeance. Heidi had said she did not mind, but Colwyn did not miss the fact that she had immediately thereafter ended their evening.

The trip back to Heidi's apartment passed in uncomfortable silence. When they arrived, Colwyn hurried from the car to open Heidi's door and offer her his hand as she stood, making certain his eyes did not stray to the tantalizing deep-V of her blouse or the sure-to-be magnificent cleavage hidden therein.

As they approached her door, she said, "Are you upset?"

"Why would I be upset?"

"I don't know... you just got all quiet after we left the restaurant."

He straightened his spine and said, "I lost my composure back there. The reason is irrelevant. All that matters is that I have upset you, and now our affiliation is coming to an end. I wish it were otherwise, but I understand, and accept, your decision."

She stopped walking and turned to face him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Pardon?"

"You think I'm angry with you?"

"Available data suggests that is the most reasonable hypothesis."

She opened and closed her mouth several times. With each iteration, Colwyn became more concerned that some mysterious ailment had befallen her. Just as he opened his mouth to inquire as to the nature of her malady, she surged toward him and captured his lips with her own. His hands found her waist as if by instinct as their bodies molded together. Her hands settled on his shoulders, grasping his shirt firmly and pulling him closer.

Time seemed to slow as their kiss deepened. Colwyn felt as though the darkness of the night had been inexorably driven back by the radiance of the magnificent woman who was now in his arms. His mind, normally an unending cacophony of random ideas, sudden inspiration, crippling anxiety and spiraling what-ifs, went silent. All that existed for him was the beautiful, mysterious, effusive woman he now found himself kissing.

She opened her lips to tease him with her tongue. When he opened his own lips to taste her, he felt the vibrations of her sigh resonate in his chest. He wrapped his arms further around her and pulled her closer. She tilted her head to the side, welcoming his tongue into her mouth eagerly. As their kiss deepened, her hands fisted tighter in his shirt, pulling him closer.

At length, she broke the kiss. Their breath came in gasps as he looked down at her in amazement. She kissed him once more, quickly but unhurriedly, before stepping to the door to her apartment.

"Good night, Colwyn," she sighed as a brilliant smile spread across her face. "I hope to see you again soon."

011011

Colwyn pulled at the collar of the sport coat he wore in irritation as he sat in traffic on the way to his first in person meeting as part of his new company. He was eager to get started but he could sense the anxiety which was always present in social situations waiting to pounce. His stomach grumbled pleadingly but he had no desire to placate it with the subpar offerings available at the fast-food restaurants which filled either side of the thoroughfare upon which he traveled.

He opted instead for a non-franchised coffee shop, hoping they served actual coffee and not just milkshakes masquerading as breakfast beverages. His hopes rose when he saw there was no drive-through and he strode inside with purpose. He quickly ordered a hot coffee and a blueberry scone, silently rejoicing that he had not been prompted to supercharge the beverage with any number of jitter-inducing add-ons. As he carefully poured half-and-half into the cup until it reached the proper hue, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

An indefatigable smile spread across his face when he turned to find Heidi standing behind him. He reached out as though to hug her but doubt quickly stepped in to arrest his movement. Heidi either did not notice his hesitance or was amused by it. She closed on him and hugged him warmly.

"Hi," he said shyly.

"Hi, yourself. What are you doing here? I thought you had a meeting today."

"I do. I'm headed there now. But I wanted to grab a bite that didn't come out of a microwave. How about you?"

She led him over to where she had crafted a workstation out of a two-person table. "My complex is replacing carpet in my building this week, so I had to make myself scarce if I didn't want to dodge scuzzy workman leering at my boobs."

"I'm so glad. Not for your inconvenience, of course. I'm just happy to see you."

"Same here. I'd much rather have you staring at my boobs."

Colwyn chuckled at her witticism but could not shake the suspicion that she did not speak in jest. Rather than pursue this line of thought, he said, "Will you be here all day?"

"Yeah, unless they kick me out."

"Then I will stop by again after my meeting. Perhaps I could take you to lunch."

She smiled brightly and said, "I'd like that."

Colwyn smiled and said, "My meeting is only scheduled for thirty minutes, but I was warned that our hope is for it to run long as that will increase the likelihood that we will... how did they put it... make it rain?"

Heidi chuckled and said, "You know? I think I might pay money to see you in a strip club. If for no other reason than watching those poor struggling single moms with five-figure boob jobs look at you like you're speaking Martian every time you use a word with more than two syllables."

A worried look crossed Colwyn's face, prompting Heidi to cradle his cheek comfortingly. She said, "Don't worry. We won't do that until at least our ninth date. Good luck in your meeting, handsome. I'll be here when you're done."

She leaned in and kissed him briefly on the lips before sitting back down. He waved at her goofily as he reached the door, causing her to snicker and return his wave.

He still felt the ghost of her kiss upon his lips when he entered his meeting thirty minutes later.

***

When Colwyn returned to the coffee shop, he found Heidi seated in serious conversation with another woman. The newcomer was shorter than Heidi and quite attractive while still falling far short of Heidi's staggering beauty. Colwyn's first impulse was to depart and give them privacy, but Heidi spotted him and called out his name.

He crossed the restaurant to greet her. She smiled at him warmly and patted the bench next to her. He took a seat beside her and said, "I did not intend to interrupt."

"Don't be silly," Heidi enthused. "I was just telling Naomi about you."

Colwyn reached his hand out to the woman who Heidi had previously identified as her best friend and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Naomi shook his hand firmly and said,' Ditto. Don't worry, she's only telling me the good stuff."

Colwyn glanced at Heidi and said, "I appreciate that."

Heidi chuckled and said, "See, I told you he was funny."

Naomi looked at Colwyn and said, "So how did you two meet?"

He said, "That is a challenging question to answer. We encountered each other twice before we were properly introduced."

"Sounds... intriguing"

Heidi cut in and said, "I told you about all this already. Remember when I planted heroin on a guy, and then got fired when I threatened to raise a stink because the asshole fuck-face rapey son of a bitch who tricked me into the whole scheme in the first place didn't hold up his end of the deal?"

Naomi's hand flew up to her mouth and she said, "This is the guy who got you fired?"

"No, silly. Colwyn's the guy I planted the drugs on. Because, you know, I'm a horrible person who deserved to die alone."

"Oh," Naomi gasped. She looked at Colwyn warily and said, "What did you do to deserve that guy going medieval on your ass?"

Colwyn shrugged and said, "I invented a formula which will cure two of the five most lethal forms of heart disease."

"What?" Heidi and Naomi exclaimed simultaneously.

Colwyn frowned at the awkwardness of the moment. He stood and said, "I am going to get a coffee. Would either of you like anything?"

They both just stared at him numbly. After a pregnant pause, he retreated toward the counter. He could feel their eyes on him every step of the way. He noticed the barista's gaze upon Heidi, so he issued instructions that he make another of whatever each of his companions had last ordered before instructing him to keep his eyes off them in the future unless they were speaking to him. As Colwyn waited for the beverages to be prepared, he glanced back in their direction to find them urgently whispering to each other. When the beverages were finished, he took a moment to properly augment his coffee before returning to the table.

"You cured heart disease?" Heidi began.

"And they fired you?" Naomi added.

"Not completely cured," Colwyn interjected. "Only two of the top five most lethal types."

"Why would they fire you for that?" Naomi whisper shouted.

"Heidi knows."

Heidi shook her head and said, "Because it didn't align with their roadmap. And because there's a lot more money in boners than there is in curing things that kill people."

Naomi said, "How awful. So, I assume that they saw through Captain Tit-Grab's ruse after you were arrested and let you go free?"

"No," he replied simply. "I was denied bail and spent forty... a month... in prison before I was able to successfully plead my case to the district attorney."

"Jesus," Naomi gasped apologetically. "I'm sorry my friend is such a gullible bitch. I assume she's made herself your permanent sexual slave in return for being so awful to you?"

"She did offer something to that effect, but I declined."

"Why? She's sexy as hell. Don't you think she's hot enough?"

"With my most sincere apologies to you, Naomi, she is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I also could never allow her to do something she did not wish to do, no matter what she feels she may owe me."

Naomi leaned over to Heidi and whispered, "Why'd he apologize for saying something nice about you?"

Heidi said, "Because he did it at your expense. I told you he was the most considerate guy I've ever met."

"So... are you guys a couple now?"

Heidi glanced in his direction worriedly before turning back to Naomi and saying, "Thanks! Some friend you are. I was trying to work my way slowly up to the point where he might, possibly, consider dating the chubby girl who's already proven she'll frame him for a felony at the drop of a hat."

"Chubby, my ass," Naomi scoffed. "I'd sell my soul for your body."

"Whatever. He doesn't believe me either. Tell him, Naomi. Tell him about how much weight I've gained since college."

"You were too skinny then. You're fabulous now, and you fucking know it. Don't you remember the other day when we went to the gym together? Five different guys wiped out on their ellipticals when you walked by. And you weren't even wearing those hot as fuck yoga pants you bought. You were wearing fucking sweats and they still all went to pieces. Face it, chica. You're gorgeous."

"I agree wholeheartedly," Colwyn added sincerely.

Naomi said, "So, how 'bout it, Doctor Awesome? You interested in dating my delusional friend?"

"I can't imagine she would be interested in such an arrangement. I possess no qualities which females find desirable in a partner."

"So... maybe needs an infusion of confidence," Naomi stage whispered. She looked at Colwyn and said, "I happen to know that my friend here is in possession of the proverbial fountain of youth. The straight man, or gay woman, whose ailments aren't immediately healed when he or she gets their hands on her tits hasn't been born yet."

"Thanks," Heidi grumbled. "Now I sound like a slut."

"Whatever. I've played with your tits, and you didn't fuck me."

"That didn't count. We were drunk. Besides, it was on a dare."

Naomi grinned at Colwyn and said, "And now you know her kryptonite. Trick her into playing truth or dare with you and the world is your oyster. She once shaved her bush into the shape of a heart with a room full of people watching. She'll do literally anything if you dare her to. Assuming you're willing to reciprocate, of course." She glanced at her watch and said, "Oh shit. I'm late to pick up my darling little pain in the ass. I gotta run. Talk soon?"

Naomi and Heidi exchanged quick pecks on the cheek before Naomi dashed out of the restaurant.

Heidi glanced at him nervously and said, "So... what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Don't play coy with me, Dr. Awesome."

Colwyn grinned in spite of himself. "I'm not sure that moniker is entirely appropriate. I do not have a medical doctorate."

"Oh, really? That denial seemed intentionally specific. Care to elaborate?"

"I only have doctorates in biology and computer science."

"Oh, is that all?" she asked with a chuckle. "And here I thought you were smart. Smart enough to not dodge the question when it comes to the topic of wanting to date me."

He gazed at her steadily and bit back the deflection that sprang to his lips. While it would be an undeniably accurate statement to say that his opinion about this matter was irrelevant without knowing her position, he strongly suspected that this was not the point. She was not interested in holding an open forum on the subject. She was asking him, point blank, if he wanted to date her. There was also the unspoken implication that he needed to demonstrate his enthusiasm to be with her by placing himself in a position of risking rejection.

He made his decision instantly. "Of course, I want to be in a relationship with you. You're the most incredible woman I've ever met."

She leaned over with a glint in her eye and kissed him briefly. She released his lips and rested her hand gently on his thigh. She whispered, "Good answer, most incredible man I've ever met." She kissed him again before whispering, "So, is this a monogamous thing or will I have to compete for your affections with a squadron of other women?"

"Surely you jest. You have been duped if you were led to believe I had any other suitors... suit-ettes? Female suitors? Suitors regardless of gender identification?" He shook his head as though trying to shoo a fly. "My point is: you will be the only recipient of my affection. That is not to say that your position on the matter must align with my own. After all, you are the kind of devastatingly beautiful woman men would sacrifice their fortunes to woo. Whereas I..."

"... are the smartest man in the world who cures deadly diseases in his spare time and makes me feel like a queen? Kinda think I might be getting the short end of the stick over here, doctor. And, just so we're clear, I don't do open relationships either. I'm yours, and yours alone, until you decide you're sick of me. Or until you do something shitty, forcing me to dump you. But I kinda doubt that will happen. You're a good man, Colwyn. I'm proud to be your girlfriend."

He leaned over and kissed her deeply before saying, "You've made me very happy, Heidi. I'm proud to be your boyfriend."

She grinned brightly and said, "You know what this means, don't you?"

Colwyn nodded and said, "That you will have to become more accepting of my attempts to behave as a gentleman."

"Well... I suppose there is that. Although I'd quibble with your suggestion that you're merely acting like a gentleman rather than just being yourself, who happens to be a perfect gentleman. But what I was actually getting at was that now that we're a couple, we have to tell each other all our deepest darkest secrets."

011100

Colwyn's phone dinged, notifying him of an incoming text. He pulled his phone from his desk and smiled when he saw the message was from Heidi. His smile faded somewhat when he read the message and saw that it was followed by a hefty amount of backup.

'what exactly does there's something I need to talk to you about mean?'

'why aren't you answering me?'

'oh shit are you still in a meeting?'

'I'm sorry for nagging'

'I swear I'm not a crazy girlfriend'

'hello?'

Colwyn's anxiousness rose with each new message until he finally decided to stop reading and just hit the icon to call her.

"What's wrong?" Heidi gasped by way of greeting.

"Why do you think something's wrong?" he asked nervously.

"Because you said, and I quote, 'there's something I need to talk to you about'. That's what you say when you're breaking up with someone."

"Isn't it also what you say when you want to talk about something specific with someone you definitely don't wish to break up with?"

"Oh. I mean... I guess so," she admitted slowly. She then laughed nervously and enthused, "What's up?"

"I... um... got a lead on a job opportunity for you."

"You... what? No way! Tell me everything."

"I was in a client meeting this morning for a company which has built an add-on to their base offering and is looking to expand that product to include predictive analytics. They were complaining about their ability to justify the cost of our services considering the poor engagement they've gotten thus far for the product. I asked them about their marketing strategy, and everyone got quiet. They said they've been struggling to staff up that department in the wake of recent turnover. It's a small start-up with about forty employees, but they're local and, in spite of the challenges they're having with this product, their overall business plan is sound. I hope you don't mind, but I stopped by the CFO's office and dropped off your resume."

He heard what sounded suspiciously like a sob come from the phone. He quickly added, "I apologize if I overstepped. It sounded like it could be right up your alley."

"Are. You. Insane?"

All Colwyn managed to get out was, "Well..." before the other end of the conversation exploded in giddy laughter.

As the laughter faded, Heidi gushed, "Thank you. Thank you very much. That was incredibly thoughtful."

"Why were you laughing?"

"Because I'm insane. Completely fucking coocoo bananas. Certainly not because you did something incredibly thoughtful for me, and I thought you were instead breaking up with me because I'm not right in the head."

"Why would I ever break up with you?'

She said, "The more you ask these completely reasonable sounding questions, the more insane I sound."

"I don't think you sound insane. I think you sound wonderful."

"You know... it's pretty hot when you dismiss my crazy. Although I can't imagine you feel the same, considering that we agreed to start dating and then I immediately went out of town. Not exactly acceptable girlfriend behavior. I'm sorry I couldn't call last night. My dad needed me to run a ton of errands for him. By the time I was done it was nearly ten and I just passed out when I hit the bedroom."

He said, "I got your text. I assure you; it was no problem. Helping your father is a much better use of your time than talking to me. And, I assure you, I always think you're extremely hot, regardless of what you're doing."

"That's sweet of you to say. I think I'll be all done here by Saturday morning. Wanna get together that night? We could grab some dinner and catch a movie. Or... whatever you want, really. I'm easy."

"I'm honor bound to take action if anyone impugns your character now," he pointed out with mock seriousness. "Even you."

"Well... I guess you'll just have to let me know later how easy you think I am. So, when should I be ready on Saturday?"

"I'll make some inquiries and get back to you."

"Suits. Hey, listen, I'm getting a call. Might be related to the job this awesome guy is trying to arrange for me."

"Is he bigger than me?"

She chuckled and said, "He's just right. Talk to you later."

***

"Game faces on until we're over the horizon," Brian whispered fiercely to Colwyn and his fellow consultants just before their prospective clients entered the luxuriously appointed conference room.

The CIO, accompanied by the usual constellation of acolytes, breezed into the room with a big smile on his face. He bypassed the chair he had utilized over the last two days of intensive meetings and approached Brian directly.

"They approved it," he exclaimed gleefully. "When can you guys start?"

Sales Doug, as Colwyn thought of him, said, "Immediately."

Project Manager Doug, as Colwyn thought of him, said, "We can have a team finalized by the end of next week. After that, it's up to you to get all the access squared away and your people lined up to do introductory meetings."

"Sounds great," the CIO replied, extending his hand to the Dougs in turn. He then offered his hand to Colwyn and said, "We're really looking forward to what you can do for us."

"As am I," Colwyn stammered as he tried to resist the urge to jerk his hand away.

The meeting broke up and Colwyn shuffled after his coworkers toward the parking lot. As they got outside, he noticed that the sun was nearing the horizon. He yawned loudly, barely able to believe that he had spent eighteen of the last thirty-six hours in meetings where nothing had been accomplished other than securing an agreement to have more meetings, albeit ones for which his company would be compensated, in the near future.

Upon reaching the parking lot, Brian said, "We need to huddle up for a retro. We might as well make it a working dinner, since it's so late. I'll text you the address for a place I know."

The Dougs nodded gleefully as Colwyn struggled with the realization that his workday was going to extend at least a few more hours and, short of angering the man who had gone out on a limb to hire him, he had no choice except to acquiesce and hope the meeting was mercifully short. He plodded toward his vehicle which was parked in the spaces reserved for EV's which needed to replenish their supply of electrons during the workday. Colwyn had been reprimanded for driving his coupe the previous day as apparently it was bad form for a consultant to drive a vehicle to a corporate meeting which was worth more money than the company's average employee made in a year. Luckily, the presence of recharging stations made it possible, albeit with a very marginal safety margin, for him to drive the also quite expensive, albeit admittedly less flashy, electric vehicle.

As soon as he climbed into the car, he entered the address into his nav system. Upon setting off, he called Heidi with great trepidation.

She answered effusively, "Hey handsome. You finally get out of the never-ending meeting?"

"After a fashion," he grumped.

"What's wrong?"

"We sold the deal."

"Isn't that good?"

"Ostensibly. But I was looking forward to speaking with you this evening. Now, I've been shanghaied into yet another meeting. This one's purpose is to discuss what happened in the last meeting and to plan for our next meeting."

"There's a reason they pay you consultants so well. It's to make up for the long hours and the endless meetings. I've got shit going on tonight, so just hit me up when you're done."

"I'll escape as quickly as is reasonable."

"I look forward to it."

She ended the call just as Colwyn pulled into a restaurant which was either pretentious, or spectacular, based upon the décor and the cars in the parking lot. He met his team inside, and they were quickly led to a quiet corner booth.

As soon as the waitress approached, Sales Doug said, "Well... hey darlin'. I'll have a double tall Long Island iced tea and a pint of IPA. And can we get some calamari and spin' dip for the table to share."

Colwyn caught a hint of wariness in Brian's eye as Doug spoke, but he ultimately sighed and ordered a cocktail for himself. Project Manager Doug ordered a soda and a shot of whiskey. When the waitress's gaze fell upon Colwyn, he requested water.

"What's the matter, new guy?" Annoying Doug asked jovially. "Afraid a little al-co-hol is gonna hurt you?"

"Lay off, Doug," Brian warned. "We're here on business, after all."

"Fair enough. Although I can't imagine what there is to talk about. We fucking nailed it. Two fucking million fucking dollars. I'm finally going to get a condo by the beach when I get my commission."

Tolerable Doug said, "I thought you already had a condo."

"Yeah, but my wife knows about that one. I need a place I can use when I need some well-earned rest and relaxation time. Perhaps in the company of a special friend."

Their waitress returned with their drinks, distributing them with friendly efficiency.

Annoying Doug looked at her and said, "Perhaps you'd be interested in auditioning for special friend status."

She smiled in response to this, but Colwyn noticed the smile did not reach her eyes.

Aggravating Doug added, "Tell you what, honey. Here's a twenty as an advance on your tip for this evening. I'll add another hundred for each button on that pretty blouse which magically comes undone. Know what I mean?"

Without missing a beat, she undid three buttons of her top and bent far over the table to place a napkin in front of each of them. She placed Aggravating Doug's napkin in his lap and throatily whispered, "I think I understand you just fine."

Pervy Doug peeled off three hundreds and dropped them on the table. She picked them up and pulled her unbuttoned shirt open even further to tuck them into her lacy white bra.

She said, "You gentleman want to order dinner? Or just stick with apps and cocktails?"

"We're good for now," Brian said with his eyes glued to her overflowing cleavage.

As the waitress departed, Tolerable Doug said, "I've got to take my kid to his soccer game tonight, so I've got a hard out in thirty minutes."

Colwyn managed to not ask why he had ordered a shot if his departure was imminent, but only barely.

Brian said, "Fine by me. This should go quick. Any takeaways from the last two days?"

No one spoke for a moment and the tension started to mount. At length, Colwyn said, "Why did it take so long?"

"Waiting for them to talk themselves into it," Pervy Doug said knowingly.

Tolerable Doug said, "He's not wrong. Those guys knew they needed us, that's why we were there. All we had to do was establish that we knew what the fuck we're talking about, which we did easily thanks in large part to you, Colwyn. After that, it's just waiting around while they check our math. But they already knew they wanted to do it, that's why they called us. Haven't you ever bought a car and had to spend some time talking yourself into it while you're at the dealer?"

"No," Colwyn answered simply. "But I understand the metaphor."

Colwyn spent the next twenty minutes watching his coworkers slowly devolve. Pervy Doug morphed into Gropey Doug, touching the waitress with increasing familiarity each time she came to the table. Tolerable Doug transformed into Sloppy Doug, adding three more shots to his initial order. Brian's behavior did not change other than becoming more withdrawn. Colwyn wondered if he were upset or disappointed in his colleagues but wary of making mention of their behavior. Colwyn did notice, however, that Brian never failed to ogle their waitress, especially now that she had taken to opening her blouse to below her bra before she visited their table.

She arrived moments later with yet another round. As she bent over the table, she reached out to place a napkin in Colwyn's lap. He glared at her and thought 'leave me alone'. She jerked her hand back as though she had been scalded.

His coworkers seemed not to notice. Sloppy Doug took his latest round and drank it down noisily before exhaling loudly. Brian nodded numbly as she bent deep at the waist to place the drink before him. When she turned to Pervy Doug, he pulled out two one-hundred-dollar bills and snapped them taunt.

He said, "Nipple?"

She glanced around warily before saying, "Double it."

He pulled out two more bills and grinned wolfishly. She reached up and pulled the cups of her bra down enough to expose her nipples. She juggled her breasts briefly before pulling her bra back up and snatching the bills off the table.

Colwyn sighed and said, "I believe that's my queue to leave."

Pervy Doug said, "Come on, man. We're hitting up a strip club next. It'll be great."

"Why would you spend a thousand dollars getting that young woman to show you her breasts if you're going to someplace where they'll do it for two orders of magnitude less?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Your motivations confound me. But they are also not my business. I bid you all adieu."

As Colwyn stood, he glared at Sloppy Doug and silently instructed him to call a cab rather than attempting to drive. He considered using his ability on either Pervy Doug, the waitress, or both. But he ultimately decided that their behavior was both consensual, and of no consequence to him. As he walked out, he was consumed with formulating a strategy to convince his new company's management to excuse him from any and all meetings forthwith. The previous two days experiences had, if anything, reinforced his opinion that nothing of consequence had ever been accomplished in a meeting involving more than three people.

011101

Colwyn texted Heidi as he walked to his car, informing her that he was on the way home rather than going to a strip club with his coworkers. His phone rang moments after he activated his vehicle, a picture of Heidi smiling brilliantly flashing onto the enormous touch screen.

He flicked the switch to answer the call and announced, "I swear, I didn't go to a strip club."

She snickered and said, "I believe you, Colwyn."

"Thank you."

"We've only been dating for a week. Did you really think I'd break up with you if you went to a strip club?"

"Obviously."

"That might be a little extreme. Make no mistake, I'd be disappointed if you had gone to one without me. But I think groveling and showering me with gifts would have been sufficient penance for the first offense."

"There was also a waitress who my coworker bribed to expose her breasts briefly."

Heidi paused for a moment before saying, "Well, that doesn't paint your coworker in a very flattering light, but it certainly doesn't impact anything between us. Dating someone doesn't mean you have to pretend the other gender doesn't exist, honey."

"Perhaps, but I feel compelled to mention it, nonetheless."

"What do you think I'd do if we were walking down the street and you turned your head to check out a pretty girl? Like in the meme."

"You would keep walking without a second thought, and I'd never see you again."

"Goodness. You have quite the puritanical outlook on dating. Would you leave me if I checked out a guy on the street? Or even a girl for that matter?"

"Of course not. Don't be silly."

"Do you even see the insane disconnect between those positions?" she huffed. "You think it would be completely reasonable for me to leave you for checking out a pretty girl, but you'd never consider leaving me for doing the same?"

"Our situations are not analogous," Colwyn replied simply.

"You treat me like I'm some kind of goddess..."

"You are," he interjected.

She continued, "... and you act as if it would be completely reasonable for me to treat you as nothing more than a weigh point while I keep my eye out for something better. I get that you haven't had a lot of experience dating..."

"None at all."

"Stop interrupting."

"Sorry."

She growled in frustration. He managed, through the intervention of some benevolent deity, to stop himself from apologizing again. At length, she continued, "As I was saying... I get that you haven't done much dating. But, at a certain point, this stops being about your low self-esteem and starts sounding a lot like judgement against me. As though you're talking less about other people as a whole and more about me specifically. Other women aren't your girlfriend, Colwyn. I am."

He sighed mightily and, after pausing to ensure that she was definitely finished speaking, said, "Your logic is unassailable. I will strive to do better."

"Of that I have no doubt. Now that we've got that out of the way, tell me about your coworker and the waitress."

"When she brought our drinks, he offered her one-hundred dollars for each button of her blouse she opened."

"What, did he stiff her?"

"No. He paid. I left however, after he offered to bring her up to an even thousand for showing her nipples."

"Well," Heidi responded hesitantly. "At least she made bank on her tips. Kinda makes you wonder why he didn't just go to a strip club, instead. Would have been a lot cheaper."

"I made that exact point when he indicated that was to be our next destination. He said he was in search of potential co-conspirators in some kind of infidelity scheme."

"I see. I hate to tell you this, but your new coworkers might be assholes."

"I suspected as much. Fortunately, the worst of the lot is someone I will not work with day-to-day. He is in sales."

Heidi groaned and said, "Those guys are the worst. Did the waitress have nice tits?"

"They were nominal," Colwyn replied carefully, after a lengthy pause. He hastened to add, "They, obviously, paled in comparison to you."

"How do you know? You've never seen my tits and it sounds like you got a pretty good peek at hers."

"I... um..."

"Relax, honey. I'm fucking with you. Were the other members of your team better behaved?"

"The project manager was barely an improvement. He seemed normal enough but as soon as he started drinking, everything changed. I had to take steps to ensure he would not be driving. But, enough about my interminable meetings, how was your day."

"Pretty great. I got a call for that place you set me up with. They want me to come in and meet with them. They didn't call it an interview, but it certainly sounds like that's what it is."

"That's wonderful!"

"I know. I'm pretty stoked. But I don't want to jinx anything. So, can we change the subject?"

"Of course. What should we talk about?"

She paused for a moment before saying, "What were you like when you were younger?"

"If you mean my twenties, not much different than I am now. Or, at least, than I was three months ago. Singular focus on my work with a few hobbies taking up the rest of my time. My years in academia were likely much different than yours. I was co-opted into senior professors' research projects at the beginning of my freshman year. By the time I earned my first bachelor's degree at the end of my second year, I was already a de facto part of the faculty. I never had time for the typical college zaniness like panty raids or toga parties."

"I'm not sure either of those have happened in the last few decades, outside of a few isolated incidents that likely resulted in jail time. Although, having said that, I did get invited to a few parties in college where the theme seemed primarily focused on getting girls to show up wearing as little as possible. Did you ever get a chance to cut loose in college?"

"It wasn't really a situation where I was made to work so hard. There was no dictatorial dean threatening to pull my funding if I refused to do his work in secret. My motivation came from within."

"What about the ladies? Ever have a student offer to break you off a piece in return for a good grade?"

"I was, for the most part, not asked to teach. My value came in the form of how I advanced their overall research curriculums. I was, however, made to accept a higher-than-average number of assistants in the hopes that those individuals would be able to adapt my research to the institution's other projects. They were, however, universally uninterested in any type of relationship outside of the lab. The story of my sexual encounters during my college years, or indeed my entire life prior to our first meeting, could be captured, in detail, on a single page."

She said, "Wanna hear about my first time before you tell me about yours?"

He shrugged, despite the fact that he was still in the car and no one except for the minivan he had just passed could possibly have seen the gesture. "I do not mind sharing. In truth, there's not much to tell. I met her in an online game, which were quite rare at the time. We conversed frequently in the game, which led to us conversing over the phone. Eventually we decided to meet, and she invited me to a party her housemates were throwing."

"Did she lead you on?"

"Not at all. It was both of our first times and we had little illusions about the ultimate purpose of our get together. We hung out at the party for a bit before going up to her room. In the end, the experience was primarily memorable for its briefness. And for how radically our rapport changed immediately following. She got dressed and returned to the party. After I returned home, she stopped responding to my calls. I emailed her to ask what was wrong. She responded and said she was unimpressed with our in-person interactions and did not wish to communicate further."

Heidi was silent for a moment before continuing. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"I mean it, Colwyn. Do you trust me that I feel like our relationship is progressing marvelously, and healthily? I enjoy all the time I spend with you, be it in person or on the phone. I'm very happy to be with you. I say all that to make it clear that if you'd prefer to wait until later to answer this question, I'm totally fine with that. You can ask to talk about something else and I'll be fine with it."

"I understand, and I believe you. But I cannot imagine being reluctant to discuss anything with you. I will, however, beg your momentary indulgence. I've arrived at home and need to hand you off from the vehicle to my hand-held." He deactivated the vehicle and switched the call the hands-free before saying, "Ok, I'm back. What did you want to ask me?"

"What did she say, exactly, that prompted you to decide relationships weren't worth the trouble for upwards of two decades?"

"The answer to that question will likely alter your perception of me, whether you want it to or not."

"Is it something like you secretly being a pedophile?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "Fuck no. It is anatomical in origin."

"I see," she responded quickly, before muttering, "Fucking bitch." She paused, as if to collect herself, before saying, "I have no frame of reference for this, honey. Everyone who meets me knows I've got oversized boobs. They're right in your face. I don't have any experience with a man being surprised by what he sees when I take my clothes off, outside of one guy who seemed genuinely surprised that they didn't keep their shape when I took my iron maiden of a bra off. But only the most vain and despicable people allow themselves to get so wrapped up in anatomy as to allow it to ruin the experience. Making love is about how a person makes you feel and almost none of that is about the shape or size of your bits and pieces. Even impersonal fucking should be, first and foremost, about how it makes you feel. People who start off at expecting everyone to look like a porn star when they get naked, and can't let it go once things get going, are doomed to never be happy. I assure you; she's found something disagreeable about every guy she's been with since you, and likely wasn't shy about sharing. Wherever she is, I guarantee she's not happy."

"That is not to say that her assessment was, is, incorrect."

She sighed and said, "I can't comment on that. I can only say that I can't imagine such a thing being more important that how we feel about each other. Tell me this: the first time we have sex, what will be most important to you?"

"Your pleasure would always be my primary objective."

"How would you accomplish that?"

"By focusing on you, to the exclusion of all distractions including my own pleasure."

"That's very thoughtful. But come on, honey. Be specific."

Colwyn blushed in the gloom of his living room, where he sat with a bottle of beer he had grabbed on his way through the kitchen. "I would pleasure you with my tongue. But I wouldn't try to overwhelm you. I would go slow, using a feather-light touch until you begged me to bring you to climax."

"And then what?" she gasped.

"I would do it again. And again. Until you were so thoroughly sated that you sank into the most restful sleep of your life."

"That doesn't leave much time for me to go down on you. Much less for us to try every position in the book to see which ones suit us best."

He smiled to himself and said, "Well then, perhaps we would be able, in this hypothetical scenario, to find it in ourselves to compromise."

"I like where your heads at. What's your stance on birth control?"

"I support it in all its many guises."

"Well," she began with a chuckle. "I suppose that's better than nothing. What I meant was, are you opposed to condoms?"

"Certainly not. I have never not used one."

"It's just inconceivable to you to do anything selfish with respect to me, isn't it?"

"I," he stammered.

"I know we haven't progressed to actually having sex yet, but giving and receiving pleasure aren't mutually exclusive. You can live out your fantasies and be a good lover, all at the same time. All I'm saying is, you needn't ever worry about asking for what you want with me. I might say no, but I can't imagine thinking less of you for asking."

"I appreciate that, although I'm sure..."

"For instance," she interrupted. "If you said you wanted to cum on my tits, I'd love to do that with you. Because it's not you doing something to me, or even at my expense. It's us doing something together. Some things will make us both feel fantastic, others will favor one over the other. But, so long as we're in it together, we're guaranteed to both feel good about the experience."

"How is it even possible someone so remarkable even exists? You're like a dream come true, Heidi."

"So... what you're telling me is that you're definitely into the idea of cumming on my tits," she responded with a chuckle. "Good to know. Now we've both got something to look forward to."

011110

"Bwahahaha," Colwyn exploded as he closed the door to his coupe. He had been on the verge of losing control ever since he had come across two men in the S-Mart who had been following a busty woman wearing yoga pants and a sports bra around like lost puppies. Both were so focused on keeping their eyes glued to the woman's body, neither had noticed the other's presence. Colwyn had felt a profound sense of embarrassment, both for them and for the undeniable possibility that he had behaved similarly at some point in his past.

When one of the men had taken out a display of stacked coolers, the awkwardness had become too much for Colwyn. He silently instructed each to redirect their sense of undisguised fascination upon the other. As he checked out, the men were doggedly making laps around the appliances section like Phobos and Deimos orbiting Mars, each trying to get a glimpse of the other's basketball shorts encased backside.

He headed home, stopping along the way to pick up a selection of wines from the package store. He was looking forward to seeing Heidi for the first time in nearly a week later that day and was pulling out all the stops to make their evening something special. He drove sedately back to his house. His mood changed instantly, however, as he pulled into his driveway and had the immediate sensation that something was very wrong.

He exited the vehicle, locking it behind him, and approached the house warily. The garage door was as he had left it, but he was quite certain he had not left the front door open. He paused to pull up the app on his phone linked to the security system and was alarmed to find that, according to it, nothing was amiss. His disquiet over the alarming state of his front door was quickly supplanted by his growing anger over the not insignificant amount of money he spent for home monitoring which was apparently being wasted.

He called the company without hesitation and entered the code which indicated an emergency. When the operator picked up, he went through the lengthy, laborious process of proving that he was himself and had the authority to speak with them about his house.

When, at last, he had jumped through all the required hoops, a friendly sounding person whose accent hailed from southern Asia came on the line and congenially asked how they could be of service.

"My house has been broken into, and your system has done nothing. No alarm. No notification. No nothing."

"I am very sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Smelly."

"Smalley," Colwyn snapped.

"I am very sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Smalley. I will be taking a look at your system at this time. Please hold the line."

Four hundred and twenty-seven seconds later, the representative came back on the line and said, "It appears your system is offline. Please try rebooting your wireless router and wait five minutes for everything to reconnect."

"You're telling me this system doesn't work if the internet goes out?"

"That is correct sir."

"I was specifically told that was not the case when I purchased this," Colwyn growled. "I asked about that exact eventuality."

"I am sorry for the inconvenience."

"This is significantly more than inconvenient. My house has been breached."

"I am sorry for the inconvenience. I will be speaking with my supervisor about a pro-rated credit equivalent to the amount of time your system was offline."

Colwyn hung up without another word. He dialed nine, one, one on his phone and left his finger hovering above the dial key as he entered the house.

Five minutes later, he had reached the conclusion that no one was in the house. He had also noticed that several items were missing, including every conceivable electronic device which had been in his office.

He called Brian and tersely reported that all of the equipment he had been provided by his new company had been stolen. Brian insisted that he call the police so they could file an insurance claim. He also initiated a process he called 'nuke from orbit' whereupon all of the devices would report their location before getting wiped and permanently rendered inoperable the next time they connected to the internet. Reassuringly, Brian also conveyed that this would not reflect negatively on Colwyn, and that his new equipment would arrive first thing the next morning.

Upon calling the police, Colwyn was informed that a unit would be dispatched to his house. While he waited, he performed a more thorough investigation including his first visit to his Refuge in ten days. He was unconcerned with his Content, but he was gratified to see that the room had apparently not been discovered and both his Content and the archive of his work remained safely encrypted.

He returned to the main floor in time to meet the police at the front door. He was dismayed to recognize one of the officers standing on his front porch. Recognition spread across her face, prompting Colwyn to reflexively silently instruct her to keep her mouth closed.

She immediately began humming animatedly, which was closely followed by anxious gesticulating.

Her partner regarded her with resignation and said, "Don't pay attention to her. That time of the month, know what I mean?"

Colwyn stared at him in shock, but the officer either failed to notice or failed to care. His partner, meanwhile, pulled out her phone and began typing out a message. Colwyn instructed her to drop the phone and stand still before turning his attention back to the senior officer.

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Colwyn said, "I arrived home and saw the front door was ajar. I came inside to check..."

"That was stupid," the cop interjected judgmentally. "Perp could still have been here and then we'd be doing a murder investigation instead of petty larceny."

"I didn't find anyone in the house, but all of the equipment from the office is missing. Call it, conservatively, twenty thousand dollars' worth of electronics. Hardly petty larceny."

"That was stupid. Look at this bay window. You're practically begging people to come in and take this stuff."

"Indeed. If only we had a well-funded professional organization whose sole responsibility was to protect citizens from criminals."

"Now, listen here, sonny..."

The urge to unleash his ability on the second officer was nearly overwhelming, but he knew that path could quickly spiral out of control. He already had one officer under his sway. Trying it with both only increased his risk. He held up his hands in surrender and said, "Sorry. It's been a rough day."

"That's better. We're going to have a look around and make sure nothing else looks suspicious."

"Thank you, officer."

As he departed, Colwyn turned to his partner and said, "You may speak, but only loud enough so that I can hear you."

"I remember you," she spat. "You're the guy with the tiny..."

"That's enough. You will return to your partner's side. You will act towards him the same way you acted toward me the day you booked me. Other than that, you will believe that nothing unusual or noteworthy occurred today. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she growled.

"One more thing: cheer up. After all, this is going to be hilarious."

A someone manic smile spread across her face as she walked away in search of her partner. Moments later, Colwyn heard an explosive, "The fuck you say?" come from the senior officer.

He heard them headed in his direction. As they entered the room, the female officer said, "I mean, how in the hell did you even knock your wife up once? Let alone three times. You sure they're yours?"

"You're lucky we have a union, or your ass would be fired. I apologize for the disturbance Mr. Smalley, my partner has decided she wants to spend the rest of her career on probation and never, ever get a promotion. We'll get out of your hair. You should receive a copy of our report in a week or so."

She said, "I mean, obviously your wife loves the fact that you never leave the seat up seeing as how you must sit to pee, but it hardly seems worth it."

"Can it, proby. We're out of here."

"Have a nice day," Colwyn said with more joy than he felt. He closed and locked the door before extracting his phone and calling the number for the security company his neighbors used, and which he had thought he was so clever to eschew considering their higher cost.

As he waited on hold, he heard a scratching sound coming from his front door. He rose, more out of curiosity than fear, and headed toward the foyer. He had just entered when the door swung open to reveal a middle-aged woman dressed like she was out for a jog.

"Um... can I help you?" Colwyn asked in confusion as he hung up the phone.

"God dammit," she muttered in a voice fueled by countless cigarettes. "You was supposed to be gone for the rest of the day." She pulled a handgun from her hoodie and pointed it at him lazily. "But we can turn grapes into wine."

"Isn't it 'turn lemons into lemonade'?"

"Zip it. I'm the one in charge here. Let's get out of the doorway so I can ask you some questions."

Colwyn proceeded her into the house cautiously. When they reached the living room, he focused his attention on her and thought, 'you want to put the gun down'. He very much wanted to see if this woman would give him insight into what was happening without realizing that he had used his ability on her, but he had no wish to risk getting shot in the process. Just as he was about to resort to more direct methods, she shrugged and returned the gun to her pocket.

She said, "Guess you're not gonna try any funny stuff."

"What are you doing here?" Colwyn asked out loud as he mentally directed her to tell the truth.

"Looking for computers. I was here before, but none of them had what the boss man's looking for."

"Did he tell you what to search for?"

"Said it would likely be a hard drive or a thumb drive, whatever the hell that is. Apparently, you took something from the guys that hired my boss. He took a commission to get it back. I already told him I grabbed all the computer shit that was here. But he said I had to come back."

"Who is your boss? What's his name?"

"Jack Decker."

"You've got to be shitting me," Colwyn exclaimed.

"No bullshit. Skinny guy, real high-strung. But he's got good shit and he gives me a discount when I help him out."

"Is this the first crime you've ever committed?"

She looked at him ruefully and said, "What do you think?"

He said, "Write all of Jack's contact information down. Then, go to the nearest police station and confess to every crime you've ever committed which wasn't related to me."

"You've got to be shitting me," she repeated.

"I'm afraid not. Now, get out of my sight and forget everything you've ever heard or seen which is in any way related to me."

After she departed, he recontacted the security company and arranged to pay a shocking amount of money to have an installer arrive before close of business. As he waited for their arrival, he considered and rejected several possible courses of action. These included: contacting Jack to attempt to warn him off; contacting Kurt, who was no doubt somehow related to the break-in, and attempting to warn him off; contacting the police and informing them of what he had learned about Jack. As he weighed the pros and cons of each, he realized that there was more bad than good for every option. Were he able to get in a room with any of those individuals, he could likely bring the entire affair to a speedy conclusion with little to no effort. But, with the exception of the police, he did not know where any of the individuals of interest were. And the police were like a hydra, but instead of cutting heads off he would be forced to compel countless officers to do his bidding. He doubted he had the strength for such an undertaking.

In the end, as much as it angered him to do it, he was forced to do nothing directly. He did, however, opt for a security system which promised to rival most commercial banks. He hoped this would in fact make his house the fortress he had always assumed it to be.

011111

Colwyn mentally reviewed everything he had planned for the evening a final time as he pulled up to Heidi's complex. His itinerary was akin to a battle plan: with each phase also including secondary and tertiary alternatives so as to ensure maximum enjoyment was had on her part. He checked his watch and repeated to himself the words he had painstakingly crafted to be spoken when she opened the door. He was going for sincere, yet amusing, with two puns and a legit joke thrown in along with a genuine encapsulation of how he felt about her for maximum effectiveness.

At two minutes to six, he exited his vehicle and walked carefully up the steps to her door. Upon arriving, he stared at his watch until the digits clicked over to the top of the hour before knocking precisely twice. The door began to open as his knuckles struck the door a second time.

The moment he laid eyes on Heidi, every word he had memorized, indeed every step of his itinerary, vanished from his brain. His response to her inquiry regarding how she should dress had been, simply, 'casual and comfortable'. She had interpreted this to mean form fitting jeans with heeled boots which came nearly up to her knee and an off-white blouse which showed a breathtaking amount of cleavage.

She smirked at his reaction and flowed up against him, pulling his chin down to collect a kiss.

"My God..." he breathed as their lips parted.

"I could get used to that reaction," she whispered, before claiming his lips once more.

Their kiss deepened as his arms encircled her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, toying with the back of his hair. Her mouth opened with a sigh and their tongues entwined. She pulled his mouth firmer onto hers as she tilted her head to the side. The movements of her tongue became more urgent against his. He lowered his hand to the curve of her hip, savoring her breathtaking femininity as he felt the weight of her breasts crushed against his chest. It seemed their skyrocketing passion knew no bounds and Colwyn felt a hint of a tug in the direction of her door from her hands fisted in his hair.

The moment was shattered, however, by the amused sound of a human female pointedly clearing her throat. Their lips parted and Colwyn looked around in confusion to find Naomi standing in the door of Heidi's apartment with an amused expression.

She said, "I take it then that the outfit was a success?"

"She is stunning. An angel come to earth. A goddess."

"I get it, she's fucking hot. Heidi, you asked me to remind you to take your back-up purse."

"Huh?" Heidi panted, still holding tight to Colwyn.

Naomi held out what was ostensibly a purse but was large enough to hold several liters worth of supplies. She pulled the door closed behind her and walked quickly to her car. As she opened the door, she said, "Have fun tonight, you two. Be safe."

"You're a smart guy, right baby?" Heidi asked coquettishly.

"There are those who say that is the way of things."

"Awesome. Perhaps on our way to wherever we're going first, you could help me come up with a way to cock-block a hypothetical thirty-four-year-old happily married wife and mother of a twenty-seven-month-old son."

"That's very specific."

"Why Colwyn, darling," she began with an accent that was so thick, it was dripping with sweet tea. "Whatever do you mean? I'm certainly not speaking of my good friend Naomi who interrupted us when we were doing just fine on our own, thank you very much. And who gets sex whenever she pleases from her annoyingly decent husband."

He chuckled and said, "I'll try to come up with something. But that sounds like a tall order."

"I have faith in you, handsome. Now, since we'll no doubt blow up what I'm certain is a carefully planned out evening if you kiss me again, perhaps you could tell me what's next."

He crooked his elbow and said, "Your chariot awaits, milady."

She stowed her larger bag in the backseat after he handed her into the car. She reached out to take his hand as they set off, lacing their fingers together in a fashion Colwyn found most pleasing.

"Did you open any presents on Christmas Eve when you were a kid?" she asked brightly.

"We weren't a religious household. We decorated the house, albeit not to the degree some of our neighbors did. We exchanged gifts, but only a handful. Our family was much more achievement oriented. A report card with straight A's was far more cause for celebration than a holiday not even properly understood by those who claim to be faithful."

She chuckled and said, "Wow. Awkward."

"Pardon?"

"What if I told you now that I'm a Christian?"

"Then I would be happy for you. But I doubt that to be the case."

"Why?"

He crooked an eyebrow and said, "I made two declarative statements. Which does your query apply to?"

"Both," she said cheerily, further reinforcing his suspicion that she was just having fun with him.

"I would be happy for you because I believe Christians, or really adherents to any modern monotheistic religion, use their faith to ward off some of the melancholy which can affect those of us self-aware enough to know that we will die and educated enough to believe that, when we die, nothing supernatural will occur. We will just stop living and the world will go on without us, having utterly failed to notice our existence, outside of those who loved us and carry our memory in their hearts."

"That's bleak."

"It is the truth as I see it. Hence, why I can be happy for people's superstitions. It comforts them in a way I'll never know."

She squeezed his hand and said, "And the other part?"

"I honestly wouldn't be surprised either way. A significant majority of this country's citizens self-identify as Christian. But I would bet on you either being non-religious or perhaps a lapsed Christian. You do not, to the best of my knowledge, attend services nor do you behave in a way which aligns to this country's puritanical beliefs."

"Oh, so it's back to me being a slut."

"No! Not at all. You needn't operate on a purely 'if it feels good, do it' protocol to be non-Puritanical. You need only generally hold that people shouldn't be made to adhere to the wishes of rich white people who, after having received countless generations worth of the benefit of the doubt, declare that no one else should be admitted to their club unless they believe, and look, just like them. It isn't about sex, it's about power. Sex just happens to be a target of opportunity for small-minded idiots looking for people to agree with them. I have never, could never, think of you as a slut. Or anything else pejorative. You are completely amazing in every way."

She whispered, "I'm not, by the way."

He looked over to see that she was flushed and staring at him adoringly. He lifted their clasped hands to his lips and brushed a kiss onto her knuckles. He said, "I know. I just said I could never think of you that way."

She snickered and said, "I meant I'm not religious. As for the slut part, you should withhold judgement until all the facts are in."

"I have made up my mind. I need no further evidence."

She sighed and said, "Ok. If you don't want to have sex tonight, then I guess we don't have to."

He gaped at her in stunned amazement. She grinned wickedly and nodded playfully. However, her look quickly turned to worry. "Colwyn! The road!"

He jerked his eyes from her and back to the road, on which they continued to travel at a velocity in excess of one-hundred kilometers per hour. "Sorry," he stammered after bringing the vehicle back into their lane.

It was her turn to kiss his knuckles. "I'm sorry too. I promise, no more talk of sex while you're driving. After all, road head doesn't happen until at least the seventh date."

"Bozhe moi," he breathed as he pulled off the highway and joined a queue of cars.

"Are we going to a hockey game?" Heidi gushed.

"Unless you'd rather do something else. I remembered what you said about..."

"... the world cup?" she finished. He nodded and she squealed in excitement. "I've always heard that hockey games are rad, but I never got around to checking one out. This is great."

They parked in one of the closer lots to the arena, thanks to the pass Colwyn had purchased. Heidi immediately retook his hand after he opened her door and showed no signs of releasing it any time soon as they approached the entrance. They were soon seated alongside the glass just a few meters from the penalty box.

She leaned close and said, "You didn't have to do all this, baby. I know these seats must have cost a fortune."

"Nothing is too good for you."

"I appreciate it, babe. I'm just saying our dates don't always have to cost four, or more, figures. I'm happy because I'm with you, not because you're spending a fortune on me." She pulled him down for a brief, but passionate, kiss before murmuring, "Best boyfriend ever."

***

Their date was going splendidly as the game entered the third period. The home team was losing by several goals, but Colwyn got the impression that very few of the fans in attendance were overly unhappy about this fact. The team was mired in the basement of their division and had not won a game in weeks. Despite this, it had been a wonderful time. Every time play stopped, something entertaining happened. Heidi had even gotten caught up in the action, good naturedly taunting the opposing team's players who were sent to the penalty box.

Colwyn heard a change in the background noise of the crowd and glanced up at the jumbotron to see that it was focusing on random couples with the apparent expectation that they feign attraction for the entertainment of their fellow fans. He was about to make mention of its foolishness when he saw his own horrifying visage on the screen.

Heidi yelped happily next to him and yanked him down for a toe-curling kiss. She opened her mouth hungrily to him as the crowd roared in appreciation.

At length, a woman seated in the row behind them grumbled, "The camera moved on. Perhaps you two could knock it off. Or get a room."

Heidi broke their kiss breathlessly. He glanced down at her in amazement and was amazed by the twinkle in her eye and the blush spreading across her chest. She whispered, "I've always wanted to do that."

He smiled and said, "You can kiss me whenever you want."

"Ditto. But what I meant was, getting on the kiss cam and just fucking going for it. People are always so proper, or they act like they don't even know each other. I always thought it would be so fantastic if a couple just went all out."

Colwyn started to reply but was interrupted by a heavy weight slamming into his shoulder. He looked around warily to spot a red-faced man getting back to his feet.

"The fuck you push me for?" the man demanded to someone in the next row up.

"I didn't push you, old man. You fucking fell. Clumsy bastard."

"Who you calling old, punk? I'll break my foot off in your ass without even breaking a sweat."

At this point, Colwyn managed to get a glance at the other party. He was unsurprised to find that it was an expensively dressed, yet somehow still slovenly, man in his early twenties.

The second man got to his feet and poked the older man in the chest. "Sit your ass down, old timer. Or you're going to need your walker to get back to the bus to the old folks' home."

The younger man turned to ensure that his companions were suitably impressed by his wit. This gave the older man a chance to shove his opponent hard enough to force him awkwardly back into his seat.

"That's it, old man. I'm going to fucking pound your ass."

The younger man's friends burst out laughing at the double entendre, which quickly turned to gasps as their friend leapt at his opponent. Colwyn, who had been watching the entire exchange with amused disinterest, barely had time to pull Heidi into his lap and shield her with his own body before the pair slammed into his back.

He grunted in pain as some sharp body part drove into his starboard kidney. He shoved the men back with strength born of a lifetime of moving his not-insubstantial bulk through the world.

He glared at them and said, "Stop this madness before someone else gets hurt."

Both men lowered their raised fists and stared at him. He said, "Apologize to everyone who's evenings you have ruined, then get the hell out of here."

Both men mumbled their pleas for forgiveness before reluctantly heading for the exit.

"Well," he huffed as he deposited Heidi back into her seat. "They say you haven't really been to a hockey game until you've seen a fight."

She guffawed hesitantly, as though she was trying to put on a serious face and just barely missed the mark. She continued to regard him carefully for several more moments before saying, "Thank you."

"I cannot take credit for their cretinous behavior, my dear."

"I meant, thank you for saving me. You are a fantastically fascinating man, Colwyn. Should we stay 'til the bitter end or did you have something else in mind for this evening?"

100000

"How did you know I love ice cream?" Heidi exclaimed as they pulled into a locally owned ice cream shop.

"Because you're not insane," Colwyn replied with a chuckle.

"How could you possibly know that?"

"I also don't know that the sun will come up tomorrow. I just know what I believe to be true."

She molded herself against him as they walked up to the counter. He smiled at how perfect she felt there, like she had been made for him. At every turn, Heidi exceeded his expectations so thoroughly that he began to doubt his own sanity. With the nearly forgotten exception of what had happened with the heroin, she was everything he could have dreamed for in a girlfriend.

He knew it rankled her when he belittled himself, but with each passing moment he was feeling an increasing amount of imposter's syndrome. He was nothing if not rational, and breathtakingly beautiful women, who were also genuinely good people, just weren't interested in men like him. He was not wealthy, despite the trappings of wealth that he indulged in thanks to his salary. He was not handsome even if one used the most liberal definition of the word. He was, in his learned opinion, barely keeping himself out of objectively grotesque status. He was also not what one would call an easy person with whom to peacefully coexist. His natural inclination was to dismiss people who had nothing to offer him. And those whose attention he required only got the bare minimum from him before he gratefully returned to his solitude.

He watched Heidi laugh at the jokes the young man behind the counter made in a blatant attempt to flirt with her. She was obviously uninterested in the young man, but she would never dream of letting him know that. Instead, she brightened his day with her smile and her laughter. Not because it would benefit her, but because she was too good to do anything other than spread joy in the world. The more Colwyn was permitted to bask in the light of her radiant perfection, the more he was convinced that it would be a sin to allow her to debase herself with a pitiful creature like himself.

He paid for her ice cream, having decided he was very much not hungry, and led her to a table on the fringes of the eating area.

She sat down and said, "How come you didn't get any?"

He shrugged and said, "Lost my appetite."

"You're welcome to share mine. I grabbed an extra spoon."

"I'm good."

She took a few bites before setting her spoon down and saying, "What's wrong?"

"Why would anything be wrong?" he responded sullenly.

"I don't know. I just know that your whole demeanor has changed in the last five minutes. Wait. Is this because I laughed at that kid's joke?"

"No," Colwyn grumped.

"That was harmless, honey. I was just being polite. You can't think I'd be interested in that kid."

"Better him than me," he muttered.

"Now, just what the hell is that supposed to mean? I wasn't flirting with him, babe. You can't get all moody and jealous just because I talk to another male. That's not how this works."

"Maybe this isn't working, Heidi," he said hoarsely. "Maybe you'd be better off with someone who actually deserves you."

"This shit again?" she huffed. "You're a good guy, Colwyn. I don't care what anyone else thinks. I just know what I believe to be true."

"What if you're wrong? What if you only think those things about me because all I've let you see is an illusion? This guy you think I am; he doesn't exist."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're too good for me. You're too good for anyone. It would be a crime against nature to allow me to cast a shadow on your perfect goodness and beauty."

"You're so wrong, Colwyn," she snapped with rising anger. "On both fronts. You're a good man. One of the best. And I'm certainly no fucking angel. I mean, hell, if you only knew..."

Colwyn interrupted, "I have over fifty terabytes of pornography on a server farm at my house that I custom built for just that purpose."

"Oh... um... ok..."

"Would a good man do that? A gentleman?"

She paused for a moment, wiping the edge of her mouth with her napkin before continuing. "I cannot answer your question without more information."

"What more information could you possibly need?" he asked, louder than he intended. Several heads turned in their direction, causing Colwyn to wince in embarrassment.

She said, "What kind of pornography are we talking about here? Were children or victims of human trafficking involved?"

"No!" Again, Colwyn was forced to mouth his apologies to the surrounding tables. "Of course not. But..."

"Was it distributed without the knowledge of the people in the videos?"

"No," he whispered fiercely. "All mainstream. But..."

"So, let me get this straight. If I've understood you correctly, you went several decades without being intimate, or even particularly friendly, with a member of the opposite sex. And this dry spell was driven, at least in part, because of a particularly traumatic event which occurred when you lost your virginity. And so, you turned to porn. That about sum it up?"

"That is hardly a justification for my abhorrent behavior. You can't possibly be interested in someone who..."

"Have things changed in that regard recently?"

"Perhaps," he allowed. "I finally realized how sad and pathetic I am."

"When did it change?"

"When I got out of prison," he answered quickly, but he felt the mistruth as soon as he spoke. He looked thoughtful for a moment before steeling his expression.

"I saw that. It wasn't when you got out of prison, was it."

"No," he replied sullenly.

She reached out to take his hand. "I'm touched, Colwyn. But this also reinforces the point I'm trying to make. You didn't seek out porn because you prefer it over human contact. You did it because you had no alternative, at least in your mind."

"That's hardly a justification. Really, Heidi. I have enjoyed our dates very much, but we both know you deserve far, far better than a fat porn addict with no social skills."

"Is that so?"

"We both know it is."

"I fucking doubt it. Because I'm part of that both, asshole. And I happened to know for a fact that, not only are you so much better than you're capable of seeing, but that I'm also so much worse than this mythical creature you've built me up to be in your mind."

He could only shrug in response to her penetrating gaze. It killed him to be so brusque with her, to hurt her in any way even if it was only her misplaced compassion for him that caused her pain.

"Have you forgotten that I framed you for a fucking felony?" she snapped.

"You had every reason to believe I deserved that and more. Besides, you were acting on your father's behalf. I could not think less of you for that."

"Oh! So, by your logic, I could do anything, and it would be fine as long as it was, at least tangentially, related to helping my father. What if I became a contract killer?"

"Don't be absurd."

"You made the rules. Listen, we're not done with this topic by a long shot. But this has given me a motherfucker of a headache. Do you think you could take me home?"

"Of course. My apologies."

As he led her toward the car, he heard her grumble, "Not a gentleman, my ass."

The ride passed in silence. Colwyn chose a route which was nearly the quickest, but he made several detours to avoid streets he knew to be bumpy. When they arrived, he opened Heidi's door and helped her stand. He led her up to the door, his melancholy over the high likelihood that he would never see her again outweighed by his concern for her wellbeing. When they reached the door, he took a step back and prepared to bid her farewell.

She glanced up at him and said, "Can you come inside for a minute?"

"I have no wish to disrupt your evening further, Heidi."

"Please. Just for a moment."

He bowed slightly and said, "I am your servant, milady."

She unlocked the door and led him into a tidy, if cramped, two-bedroom apartment. Her furnishings had an eclectic theme to them and created a very relaxing environment.

"What I need to show you is in here."

He followed her to the second bedroom whose closed door included an elaborate padlock. She turned to face him and noticed his gaze.

"No one goes in here, not even Naomi. I suspect she knows the truth, but prefers to exist in the pleasant fiction where this room is just a home office."

"Heidi," he stammered. "You don't have to..."

"Yes," she growled. "I most certainly do."

She keyed in a lengthy code. Colwyn averted his eyes upon realizing it was a keypad. When she got the door open, she turned back and, upon noticing that he had looked away, said, "It's 9-5-1-4-1-3."

"Pi?"

"Yup."

She opened the door into what appeared at first to be a bedroom. A day bed sat along the far wall, covered by pillows. There were shelves along one wall which were laden with cardboard boxes. The windows had been completely covered, first by blinds and then by blackout drapes. The near wall held an array of what appeared to be workout equipment. The center of the room contained a large tripod which nearly touched the ceiling.

"See," she murmured despondently from behind him. "I'm no angel."

"What do you mean?"

"Surely, you're not that daft. This is where I debased myself."

"I don't understand."

She sighed and said, "I need wine for this. Do you want a beer?"

"I'm good."

"Great. I'll get us both a drink."

He followed her into the kitchen where she forced a beer into his hand before filling an oversized wine glass to the brim. She led him into the living room and sat on one end of the couch, tapping the cushion at her side in a manner which left no doubt as to her expectation. He sat down, leaving enough space between them to allow her to feel comfortable.

She grunted softly as she stared at the space between them. When she began speaking, it was barely above a whisper. "When we lost my mom, it damn near killed my dad. She was his whole world. And it wasn't just that she basically ran his life. They were so thoroughly in love with one another that I'm not sure either of them ever even considered living without the other. He got better, after a while, but it was slow going. My sister tried to help, but she's got her own family to take care of so it kind of fell to me. I ended up moving in with him. It was the only way I could be there when he needed me. For two years, I became his wife, or his mother, for all practical purposes. I quit my job and spent all my time trying to help my dad get to a place where he was interested in living again."

Colwyn reached out to take her hand. "I can't tell you how much I admire you. When we lost my dad, I should have been there for my mother. Like you were. But I abandoned her, like a fool."

A tear rolled slowly down her cheek. She whispered, "Perhaps. I'd love to hear her side of the story. But the way I see it, you felt as though you were on a mission to keep that from ever happening to anyone else. The formula you invented; it would have saved him?"

Colwyn nodded. "Two decades too late," he sighed bitterly.

"You performed a miracle, bae... Colwyn. It was your calling. I can't help but believe that your father would have been extremely proud."

"Perhaps," Colwyn admitted, a crystal-clear memory of the conversation with his bizarre visitor in prison suddenly springing to the forefront of his consciousness. "You certainly must know the same goes for you. You are a credit to both your parents. Surely your father must have made you understand that."

"He did. He does. It took a while, a long while, but he eventually admitted that he wanted to keep on living. Once that happened, he went full bore. In the course of a couple weeks, he went from just endlessly sitting on a rocking chair on the porch, staring at the waves, to shooing me out of the house. Once I was certain he was going to be ok, I got this place and tried to restart my life. I got a job after a little while and tried to reintegrate with my friend circle. But, other than Naomi, I just couldn't build a connection with any of them anymore. No matter what I did, I just felt empty inside. After a while, I started upping the ante. First it was booze, then drugs. But that didn't last long. I didn't want to feel numb, I wanted to feel alive. So, I started having sex. A lot of sex."

Colwyn held her gaze, feeling a jolt of pain lance his heart with each tear that slid down her achingly beautiful face. "Did it help?"

"For a time. I cannot speak for your collection, but it would not surprise me at all to learn that both of us experienced diminishing returns."

He nodded serenely and squeezed her hand tighter.

She said, "Hence the room. When plain-old-vanilla fucking doesn't cut the mustard anymore, first you bring more people into the mix. Then you go for toys, or costumes. Next comes the various apparati. After a while, you realize that nothing will bring you that high anymore, but you just keep at it because the alternative is too bleak to contemplate. I was getting desperate before I finally found the solution."

"What is that?" Colwyn asked with genuine interest.

"You already know the answer to that," she responded sadly.

"Pardon?"

"You spoke earlier of your, I'm not sure what you call it, collection? Anyway, you spoke of it in the past tense. Will you tell me why?"

"I will always do anything you ask, Heidi. You know that." He paused to collect his thoughts, and to wipe away the tear which was making its way down her cheek. "I used to spend a few hours a day curating my Content. After I got out of prison, I spent countless hours catching up. However, soon after, the thought of it just turned my stomach."

"Same here. I just wish..."

"What is it, honey?"

She sobbed briefly before raising her misted eyes to meet his gaze. "I wish I'd met you earlier. Then maybe I'd have had a chance to deserve you. Instead, I became a slut no one could ever love and framed you for a crime. I'm so sorry, Colwyn. If you remember nothing else of me, remember that I'm so, so sorry for ruining things in every way possible."

Her tears were flowing openly now. He desperately wanted to reach out to comfort her, but, if anything, he felt even more unworthy than before she had told him of everything she had sacrificed for her family. He said, "Why did you bring me here?"

"To show you just how wrong you are. Who gives a fuck if you like, or liked, to watch porn? Big fucking deal. Literally your whole life has been dedicated to improving the human condition. And you've never failed to treat me like a queen even though I was just awful to you. You're right about not deserving to be with me, you just got the polarity wrong. You deserve so much better than me. I don't blame you for not wanting to be with me, especially after what I've told you this evening."

Colwyn reached out to take her other hand. "I never, ever said I didn't want to be with you, Heidi. I have never wanted anything more than I want to spend every moment of every day with you. Just the thought of you, the barest memory of you, is better than any moment of my life before we met. And nothing, nothing, you've told me this evening has changed how I feel."

"Then why are you breaking up with me."

"Because, no matter what you may believe, I don't deserve you. I never will. You exist on a higher plane of existence from the rest of us. I could never do anything to bring you harm."

She sobbed and said, "But what if the only thing that will make me happy is you?"

He smiled crookedly and said, "I'm just not going to get any traction on this 'you deserve better than me' argument, am I?"

"Not until you admit that you deserve better than me."

"Then we shall have to compromise," he murmured before their lips met tenderly.

100001

Just as their kiss started to deepen, Heidi pushed against Colwyn's chest. He pulled back to look at her questioningly. Her tears were back, and she refused to meet his gaze.

She stammered, "Wait. Just wait a minute.

Colwyn bit back the apology that tried to burst from his lips. He leaned back, still maintaining his hold on her hand, and regarded her patiently.

She smiled wearily at him and said, "I need you to know you're not like the others. They meant nothing, just a means to an end. I don't even remember many of their names. I won't comment on what that makes me, we both know the truth and there's no point in arguing over semantics. Also, I can't expect you to believe this, but I'm clean. I always took every possible precaution and I got tested weekly. I've taken two tests since I last had sex, both completely clean."

"You don't need to tell me this, honey."

"Yes, I do. I won't ever lie to you again."

"You didn't lie to me before."

She shook her head and said, "A lie of omission is still a lie."

He nodded solemnly and said, "I see."

"Exactly. So that's what you're going to get from me from now on: the truth. All of it. At times, I'm sure it'll be TMI. But I can't bear the thought of losing you because I didn't try my damndest to be the person you deserve, if not the person you believe me to be."

"I promise to give you the same."

"Good, because..."

"I think I'm a super villain," he deadpanned.

"What?" she guffawed.

"I mean it, Heidi."

"Is this about your inexplicable ability to get bad people to do what you want?"

"Huh?"

"You can't possibly think I haven't noticed it, Colwyn. Every time we're together, it seems like there's at least one completely baffling thing that happens where you tell someone to do something that I'd have bet my left tit they wouldn't do. Then they do it. Every goddamned time. And while I'm more curious about what in the hell is happening than I can ever possibly convey in words, I hardly think you qualify as a super villain."

"But... how?"

"Because I like you very, very much. I'm fascinated by everything about you, even the things I don't understand."

"Same here. That's how I know you're the most perfect woman I've ever met."

She frowned and said, "You sure you're not skeeved out by all the crazy sex addict stuff?"

He shook his head and said, "You sure you're not freaked out about the super villain thing, not to mention the porn addict thing?

She shook her head before smiling warmly. "All I care about is that you're you."

"What about the..."

She sighed and rested her hand on his upper thigh. "No more questions, baby. Just kiss me."

He dropped his lips to meet hers, a shared groan of contentment passing between them when they touched. Her mouth opened eagerly for him, and the intensity of the kiss skyrocketed. Colwyn's hand found it's way to her hip and he pulled her even closer. Heidi shifted around and climbed into his lap without ever relinquishing his lips. Her breasts pillowed out against his chest as she hugged him tightly and she ground her core against his throbbing manhood.

He felt moisture on his cheek and broke the kiss worriedly. When he saw the tears in her eyes, he said, "What's wrong, baby?"

She shook her head slowly and said, "Nothing. I'm just so happy you're still here."

He pulled her close and kissed the tears off her cheeks. "There's nowhere I'd rather be."

"We don't have to... I mean we can... dammit."

"It's ok, honey. You can tell me."

She sighed and kissed his forehead. "I want you so fucking much, I can't even form coherent sentences. But I know this evening has been pretty heavy. If you need some time alone to think, then that's what I want you to do."

"I don't need any time to think. And I certainly don't want to be alone."

"Thank God," she breathed before kissing him again briefly. "I just wanted you to know that I have no expectations of you, other than that you be yourself. I would literally be thrilled with anything from just hanging out on the couch and watching a movie to making love until we pass out from sheer exhaustion. Or anything in between."

He slid his hand around to caress the small of her back. He grinned up at her and said, "That sounds pretty tempting." She moaned in response to his touch and ground against his cock. He crooked an eyebrow and said, "So, what's your favorite genre of movie."

Her shoulders slumped and she gave him a wry smile. "Horror. Got any favorites?"

He slid his hand down and cupped her ass to pull her closer. Her eyes widened in surprise as he said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."

"Oh, I see how it is. I'll get you back for this..."

He interrupted her by claiming her lips. He kneaded the suppleness of her ass as she ground against him. Her hands toyed absentmindedly with the hair at the base of his neck. Her tongue twined with his languidly, hungrily tasting him without fighting for dominance. She released his lips and sought out his ear, sucking on his earlobe as her breathing quickened.

"Touch me," she panted. "I need your hands on me, baby."

He slid his hands up her body and cupped the sides of her spectacular breasts.

"Yes," she whispered.

He kissed his way down to her chest, savoring the softness of her skin and the intoxicating scent of her as he neared her cleavage. She shifted around slightly before pulling her blouse over her head to reveal a lacy white bra which perfectly balanced beauty and function. He gazed at her in wonder as his hands sought to unfasten her bra. He gained new appreciation for her breasts with each passing moment as he struggled with the clearly reinforced clasp.

She whimpered at the delay as she continued to nibble on his earlobe. "Please touch me, baby."

At length, Colwyn succeeded in disengaging one of the three hooks holding her bra together. He made quick work of the other two and pulled the straps from her shoulders, leaving only their nearness to hold up the occluding garment. He took a deep breath, secure in the knowledge that his life was about to change irrevocably, before he slid his hands beneath the cups.

The feel of her breasts was akin to a religious experience. They were a study in unparalleled contradictions: pillowy soft, yet alluringly firm; heavy, yet supple; flawlessly smooth except her pebbled areola and hardened nipple. She tossed her bra on the floor, and he got his first look at their incredible magnificence. Her areola were so light, they were only perceptible in the change in texture. Her prominent nipples grew under his inspection.

He pulled her closer and took a nipple between his lips. A ragged sigh escaped her lips at his touch. She ground her core against his confined manhood, encouraging him onward. He flicked her nipple between his lips, bringing it to full hardness. He switched to her other breasts, offering it the same treatment. He could have lost himself in them; he could have spent the remainder of his life focusing on worshipping her incomparable breasts without feeling like a moment had been wasted.

"I'm glad you like them," she panted. "I'll never again complain about my boobs. As long as you promise to keep treating them like this."

"I promise," he murmured before switching breasts again. "You're so beautiful. So perfect."

She slid from his lap without pulling her breast from his lips and began massaging his cock through his trousers. She reclaimed his earlobe and whispered, "Can I play too? I want to meet my new best friend."

He steeled himself to quell the unease he expected to spring up at her words, but all he felt was desire to be closer to her. He pulled her down for a kiss, the passion rising to a new level as their tongue slid together. She opened the front of his trousers with far more deftness than he had shown with her bra and within moments, she was stroking him through his boxers.

She slid down until she rested on her knees on the floor before him. She tugged at his trousers and said, "Off."

He lifted his hips and she yanked them down, also divesting him of his shoes and socks. She stroked his manhood through his boxers while maintaining eye contact with him. A smile spread across her lips as she pulled the waistband down and gripped his cock. Her smile grew when she dropped her eyes. She stroked him slowly and lowered her head until he could feel her hair tickling his thighs.

"I love it," she whispered before she lowered her head to taste the proof of his excitement welling up from his tip. Her eyes never left his as she took him deeper into the heat of her mouth.

He was unable to stop the groan from escaping his lips as she bottomed out and he felt the back of her throat caress his tip. "Mon dieu," he murmured. "That feels amazing."

"Tastes pretty good too," she replied coquettishly as she pulled back.

She rose up to engulf is manhood in her epic cleavage. He dipped down to claim her lips as she rubbed her breasts against him lasciviously. Their tongues lashed urgently as she pleasured him with her body. Her fingers caressed his balls and inner thighs in a way that left no doubt as to her intentions.

As if in response to his thoughts, she said, "I want you to cum for me, babe."

He could only nod in response as she leaned back to give herself room to remove his boxers before taking him back into the heaven that was her mouth. She bobbed her head with vigor, her eyes remaining fixed on his. The hunger in her eyes was nearly overwhelming. But while he had no doubt as to her desire to taste him, the look on her angelic face laid bare the fact that her true craving was to take him to heretofore unknown heights of pleasure. He took her face gently in his hands, caressing her cheeks as she brought him to the precipice.

"Honey," was the only warning he could manage to stammer before his orgasm consumed him. Her eyes lit up in delight as he erupted into her eager mouth. Her sigh of contentment nearly drowned out his own moans of ecstasy as his spasms of pleasure continued unabated. A chattering groan escaped his lips as she coaxed the last of his seed from his cock. She pulled back slowly, continuing to pleasure him with her tongue with every centimeter she relinquished.

She released his tip with a libidinous smirk on her face and sank back on her haunches. She pressed her breasts together and slowly allowed his seed to flow onto them like a lascivious waterfall. He gasped in amazement as she pulled each breast up to her mouth and daintily licked them clean. It was as though she had plucked a fantasy straight from the deepest recesses of his subconscious. He knew at once that it was a memory he would never forget.

"Please kill me now," he murmured.

"That wasn't the exact reaction I was going for," she said worriedly.

"I have achieved nirvana," he continued, undeterred. "That was the greatest moment of my life. It is inconceivable to ever top it. Ergo, it's all downhill from here."

"Nice save," she replied with a playful grin.

He offered her his hand and pulled her up into his lap, claiming her lips with an almost desperate eagerness. He could taste the remnants of his orgasm on her tongue as it invaded his mouth with gusto. But this excited him rather than repulsing him. Her adoration of him, the singular focus on pleasuring him, spoke volumes of the affection she felt toward him.

He broke the kiss and stood with her in his arms. She squealed in delight and wrapped her legs around his waist.

He said, "I aim to taste you, my dear. Where would you be most comfortable while I slowly devour you over a thousand years?"

She snickered and said, "My bedroom. The one on the left."

He headed in the indicated direction, pausing briefly to get a lay of the land before he deposited her on the edge of the queen-sized bed beneath the window. The room was decorated sparsely, but it had a very welcoming vibe. Pictures of what he assumed was her family covered every available horizontal surface.

He knelt beside the bed and slowly unzipped her boots before tugging them off. It had been his intention to do it in what he hoped was a suave manner, but they had apparently been fitted with the aid of some industrial grade equipment. He ended up having to tug rather forcefully to remove them, much to the delight of his giggling companion.

Her giggles turned to moans when he began caressing her feet and sucking her toes. He lavished the same attention on them that he had her nipples, switching between them at random until Heidi whispered, "Stop teasing me."

As if to demonstrate her impatience, she unbuttoned her jeans and reached between her legs to pleasure herself.

"That's my job," Colwyn whispered huskily.

"Fine by me."

She reached for a pillow and propped her head up to watch him. He reached for her waistband, and she lifted her hips to accommodate him. He slid her jeans down her legs and tossed them over his shoulder in a manner that elicited a snicker from Heidi. He ran the tip of his tongue up the inside of her leg until he reached the apex of her thighs. He could see the evidence of her desire on her deep red thong. He ran his tongue lightly along her seam through the lacy material.

"Yes," she breathed contentedly.

He deepened the swipes of his tongue across the silk, soaking the material and filling his senses with her intoxicating aroma. She writhed beneath him as he covered the wisp of silk with his mouth. He delved his tongue around the edge of the material to taste her directly, causing her to buck her hips into him.

He slid the thong down her legs and dismissively sent it in the direction of her jeans before diving between her thighs once more. He sank his tongue into her core, drinking deep of her essence. Her hands threaded into his hair, pulling him deeper into her. He teased her clit with his nose as he continued to thrust his tongue into her femininity. Her moans filled the room as her pleasure began to build. Just as he felt her wetness begin to surge, he pulled back and regarded her intently. The vulnerability that he saw in her eyes stood in such stark contrast to her boldness.

"Give me your hands," he whispered.

She reached out to lace her fingers into his on either side of her body. Without tearing his gaze from her breathtaking eyes, he gently flicked her clit with the tip of his tongue.

"Just like that," she sighed as she sank back into her pillow.

He took her clit between his lips and began lightly caressing it with his tongue. The sight of her angelic face framed between her incomparable breasts brought him instantly back to fully erect, but he had no intention of sacrificing her pleasure for his own. He continued to patiently pleasure her, allowing her to bonelessly savor the experience.

Despite his lack of urgency, her pleasure began to build once again. He stayed the course, never releasing her hands as her breathing quickened. Her breasts began to heave as her orgasm neared. A low moan began deep in her chest, slowly building until she was panting a litany of wordless sounds and writhing beneath him.

Her orgasm arrived with a quickness which surprised him. Her thighs squeezed tight around his head and her hips bucked as countless waves of pleasure crashed over her. Her hands held his in a death grip as her body spasmed in ecstasy at the continued ministrations of his tongue on her clit.

The grip of her thighs eased enough for him to hear a whispered, "Too much," escape her lips.

He released her clit, blowing on it lovingly as she squirmed beneath him.

"Are you trying to kill me?" she asked with a jolt as he delivered another puff of air to her tender pleasure bud.

"Of course not. Just testing to see when you'll be ready for round two."

"I thought you were kidding about the thousand years."

"I never kid about my work."

She released his hands and said, "While I appreciate your devotion, and your masterful skills at eating pussy, I can't be held responsible for my actions if you're not inside me in the next sixty seconds."

He chuckled and said, "You drive a hard bargain," before rising to his feet. He paused to regard her supernatural beauty as she stared up at him lustily.

She said, "Lie down babe, I'll get a condom."

He did as instructed as she rifled around in her nightstand. She knelt beside him and stroked him a few times before sheathing him. She straddled him and lined him up with her entrance.

"Ready?" she asked with an eager grin. Without waiting for an answer, she sank onto him.

He grunted in pleasure at the sensation of her molten core adjusting to his intrusion.

"Oh babe," she sighed. "You feel amazing."

He stammered, "So do you."

"It's perfect. Just completely fucking perfect. Like it was made for me."

She began riding him slowly, taking full measure of his length on every stroke. He reached up for her breasts, barely able to believe his fortune.

"All yours," she whispered. "They're all yours."

She lowered her breasts to his lips, and he sucked her nipple with abandon. She quickened her movements, riding him with an almost savage intensity.

"Oh, fuck! Yes!" she exclaimed; her words almost drowned out with the sounds of their bodies crashing together.

He dropped his hands to her waist, gripping her firmly as he began thrusting up into her velvety depths. Her breasts battered him gloriously each time she slammed into him. He bit cautiously on one of her nipples and she moaned loudly in response. He grew bolder, latching onto the other nipple in earnest. She signaled her enthusiasm for this by hoarsely moaning, "I'm close, babe."

His fingers found her clit and he released her nipple. He looked up at her adoringly, seeing everything he felt for her reflected in her beautiful face. He whispered, "I want to look in your eyes when you cum."

She whimpered, "Oh, baby... I'm cumming."

Her beautiful brown eyes widened as her orgasm arrived, but she kept her gaze on him. He felt her inner walls rippling along the length of his cock as her orgasm crested. He thrust once more deeply into her and gave himself over to his own pleasure. As they rode out their shared ecstasy, their eyes never wavered. In that shared glance, Colwyn found something which he had long ago given up believing existed. He read in her gaze the same epiphany he was having, and the knowledge that they were in sync made him, impossibly, even happier.

She collapsed onto him, claiming his lips languidly as their pleasure receded. Their kiss continued for time uncounted, neither partner willing to allow the moment to end. At length, she rose up slightly and regarded him intently.

"Thank you," he whispered.

She frowned slightly and said, "You don't need to thank me for making love to you, babe. I got at least as good as I gave."

"I know. But that does not diminish the fact that you have made me very, very happy. And that will always be deserving of thanks."

"In that case, thank you, sir. You are a talented lover, and I'm proud to be your girlfriend. You can, and I don't say this lightly or with any reservations, do that to me whenever you want."

She reached between them to deftly grasp his cock before disengaging. She removed, and disposed of, the condom before settling against his side.

After a moment, she whispered, "I hope you'll stay. The night, I mean."

"Remarkable," he answered softly before kissing the top of her head.

"What?"

"A moment ago, I would have sworn you couldn't possibly make me happier. But then you went and did it."

"I'll take that as a yes?"

He pulled her close and, in a reasonable facsimile of a Frenchman mangling a Scottish accent, said, "Aye, lass. That's a yes."

100010

"Good morning. Can I help you?" an eager looking man whose ancestry likely included some time spent in the Philippines asked Colwyn as he tried to move unnoticed through the lobby.

Colwyn arrested his steps and moved in the direction of the desk. He said, "Yes, I'm here to meet with the head of development."

"Would that be software development?"

"No... um... product development. You know, medicines."

"I see. And your name..." he elongated the word by way of emphasizing his question.

"My name isn't important. I just need to speak with him, or her, right away."

"I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave, sir."

Colwyn groaned in frustration and said, "You will take me to their office immediately."

"Um, no I won't. Do I need to call security?"

"No," Colwyn huffed before stalking back through the lobby and out into the parking lot. He cursed his recklessness, and his impatience. It had all seemed so simple before he set out this morning.

He had been enjoying a lazy afternoon at Heidi's apartment after their incredible night together. They had been lounging on the couch, watching a movie in between bouts of lovemaking. The movie in question was about super-powered mutants fighting other super-powered mutants in an attempt to take each other out before the rest of humanity got around to it, and she had casually asked why he did not use his power more. It had set his mind in motion, but just as he was about to question her about it further, she crawled into his lap. By the time they were done making love, the topic had slipped his mind. But it had returned with a vengeance this morning after she had departed for work. He had been so consumed by the proposition that he had set out blindly, with only the vaguest goal in mind.

He stalked back to his car and left immediately, having decided that this corporation was burned for him. As he drove to the next possibility, he gave more thought to what tactics he should use. Unfortunately, he was in a part of town which was littered with research firms, so he did not have enough time to come up with much more than, 'be patient... don't be dumb'.

He put this strategy to work immediately by driving past the campus, rather than turning into the parking lot and parking next to the front door. He parked at a fast-food restaurant a few hundred meters away and lingered until a representative of the city's pitiful excuse for public transit appeared. He followed the group that exited the bus toward the campus, studying each as they walked. He quickly decided on the person most likely to be useful to him and issued a silent command for that person to hang back. He followed this up with a command for the person to approach him and answer his questions honestly.

Five minutes later, Colwyn released the low-level secretary with a parting command to forget their conversation. He had a list of names and, more importantly, a list of likely arrival times and car types. The secretary he had made use of harbored a worrying grudge against the people for whom she worked which manifested itself as an almost religious obsession on their comings and goings. She used this to justify her low-level theft of company property using the logic that: if she spent more time at the office than they did, and they got paid more, then they were clearly irredeemable people.

Colwyn loitered in the smoking area while he waited for a silver faux-luxury American sedan to pull into the executive lot. He watched the young director of logistics exit his vehicle and, after pausing to confirm his aura, approached him quickly. He issued the usual silent command to answer him honestly before speaking.

"Good morning, I was hoping you could direct me to the head of development for new medications."

"Sorry, buddy. That's way above my pay grade. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a full day ahead of me."

"Wait," Colwyn snapped, bringing the man to an immediate halt. "Do you know anyone in that department?"

"Not really... oh, wait. I do know someone. Real smoke show with an ass that could make you..."

"What's her name. And where could I find her?"

"Dunno about her name, unless Great Ass, which is what I call her, counts. 'Fraid I can't tell you much about where to find her, either. I sometimes see her in the cafeteria, though."

"Wonderful. Perhaps you'd be so kind as to invite me to your office while you try to find a name for me."

"Sure buddy, but we'd best hurry. I've got a staff meeting in about five minutes."

"Lead on."

Colwyn spend the next hour in the office of the man, whose name turned out to be Austin, he had approached in the parking lot. He had used the time taking notes on the company's organizational chart and copying the headshots of the people with whom he could speak in hopes of advancing his cause. He also obtained a building map which told him, generally speaking, where each department was located.

He departed Austin's office with his security badge and a parting command to forget the last two hours. He walked purposefully, but not hurriedly, in the direction of his next target. As he neared his destination, he encountered a door which Austin's badge would not open. This was not an unexpected development, so he hung back from the door in a fashion he desperately hoped did not appear suspicious and waited for someone to exit the door he needed to enter.

It took three tries before someone with a red-tinged aura exited the door. Once Colwyn was through, he continued his deliberate pace until he found a collection of offices belonging to the department leadership. He peeked inside each door until he found someone who was both on his list and had a reddish aura. He entered their office without hesitation and, after closing the door behind him, sat down.

The woman seated on the other side of the desk said, "Excuse me? What are you doing in my office?"

"I am here to offer you something of great value. I have invented a formula which will cure..."

"Oh, Jesus. Another crackpot fucking inventor. How in the hell did you get in here?"

"I walked," Colwyn replied sincerely.

"Well you can walk your ass right back out. Or shall I summon security?"

She picked up her phone and began dialing, clearly uninterested in his reply to her inquiry.

"Put down the phone," Colwyn commanded calmly while silently commanding her to relax.

She set the phone down slowly and said, "What do you want?"

"I already told you that. But unlike the crackpots with whom you are clearly accustomed to dealing, I am the genuine article."

"Bullshit," she retorted agreeably.

"I assure you I am being sincere. I have a thumb drive in my pocket which contains a formula which will cure several forms of heart disease."

"Assuming you're telling the truth, how much would you be expecting in compensation?"

"Only the guarantee that you will take the drug to market and charge a reasonable price for it."

She chuckled darkly and said, "First off, this formula would have to pass through trials and get government approval."

"I can assure you that won't pose a problem."

"I repeat, bullshit. Only two percent of our products make it to market."

Colwyn shrugged and said, "Then perhaps you need better people. I know several of your competitors exceed that mark by a significant margin."

"Whatever. Assuming you're right, what exactly does a fair price mean?"

"You could benchmark it to something else. Perhaps aspirin."

She laughed openly and said, "Now I know you're crazy. Any new drug, especially one that has a chance to be lifesaving, must be marketed accordingly. Not to mention that we must cover our research and development costs."

"I've already done all the R & D."

"Sure, but we also need to cover the cost of all the ones that didn't make it. Company policy dictates the pricing model. A drug like you describe would go to market with a price of at least four figures per course of treatment. Likely even higher if it shows high efficacy."

"But I'm not concerned with your profit. I just need someone who can actually work with the feds and bring it to market. You can find your profits elsewhere."

"That's not going to fly."

"I'm afraid I'll have to insist. You will agree to my terms." Colwyn put all of his energy into the command.

She flinched as he finished speaking but quickly regained her composure. "I'm not telling you I don't want to. I'm telling you I can't. It's out of my hands. It would take an executive to override the pricing structure. And he'd have to answer to the board."

"What if I say take it or leave it? Accept my terms or you don't get the formula."

She folded her hands on her desk and smiled wearily before saying, "Then I'd say, 'you can see yourself out'. Do please take my card, however, in case you ever decide to be more reasonable."

***

"Wait... I'm lost. Who said, 'go fuck yourself'?" Heidi asked over dinner at his house that evening.

Colwyn took a bite of his sushi before saying, "The director of new product development. As near as makes no difference, Kurt's equivalent."

"And why were you there?"

"I just couldn't stop thinking about the comment you made yesterday... about me using my ability more. In hindsight, I've wasted so much time. I invented the damn thing over two months ago, yet it just sits uselessly on my computer when it should be saving people."

"And so you went to another pharma company to convince them to manufacture it?"

"Well, I was hoping to convince them the old-fashioned way. But when that failed, as I knew it would, I intended to resort to using my ability."

"Did something happen to your ability?"

"I don't think so. It seemed to work earlier today."

She regarded him queerly and said, "But you still failed?" He frowned at this, so she hastened to add, "I'm not trying to be critical, just trying to understand the situation."

"I cannot command people to do that which is not in their power to do. After some initial resistance, she seemed amenable to bringing the product to market but she was intractable on the issue of cost."

"They want to charge out the ass for it?"

He smiled wryly and said, "It's company policy to charge out the ass for it. She said it would take executive approval to override the established pricing structure. And even that would end up getting overruled by the board. It's just not feasible to command that many people. It's unlikely it would work on all of them anyway."

"Why not? Does it take up a lot of energy to use the ability, like whatshisname in that movie yesterday who had to sleep after using his powers?"

"Sort of, but its not just that. It also only works on reds and, statistically speaking, at least one of the board members is certain to be a green."

"You have so thoroughly lost me that I'm legitimately not even sure we're still talking about the same thing anymore."

He pulled her close and collected a kiss before saying, "It only works on some people. I'm not sure what it means, but I can see people's auras, for want of a better term. It starts out barely perceptible, but..."

"Wait. What does that mean?"

He shrugged and said, "It's just a word I assigned to the phenomena. If I focus slightly on a human adult, I can see a vague outline which varies across the color spectrum."

"Oh, really? What color is mine?"

"A soft green," he responded simply. "Like the color of the Scottish highlands in summer. But, if I focus further, I can perceive a hexagon in that color which breaks into two triangles. The right one ranges from green to red. The left one is inverted, and ranges from blue to grey. And, since I know you'll ask, your right is brilliant green and your left is a sort of soft blue, like the sky on a cloudy day."

"Fascinating. What does it mean?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea. I've only done enough testing to determine that red means my ability will work and green means it won't. I've been a bit busy pursuing a beautiful angel who has yet to figure out that she deserves so much better than me."

She leaned over to kiss him deeply before murmuring, "I'm so glad you caught me. Not that I was working very hard on evading you. So, if going through the big pharma firms is a no-go, why bother with them at all?"

"The amount of bureaucracy surrounding the selling of controlled substances legally in this country is breathtaking. For good reason, to be sure. But it still means that it is effectively impossible to start a company and just start selling medicine. Even if I had the necessary capital, which I don't by several orders of magnitude, it would be years before I'd jumped through enough regulatory hoops to even consider bringing a new medicine to the market."

"So, you just need to find someone who's already done all the start-up work and is looking for a product to make a big splash."

"Preferably, especially if they're still small enough that they've remained private. There will still be a board to contend with, but it will number in the tens rather than potentially thousands when all the proxies are considered."

"I'll do some digging and see what I can come up with. I still get a lot of invites to trade shows, I can comb through them for good candidates."

"Thanks, honey."

"Anything for my super genius, definitely not super-villainous, boyfriend. Speaking of which, Naomi said she wanted to double date this weekend. What do you think?"

"Fine by me. You said her husband is a good guy, right?"

"Yup. He's almost half as good as you. So, he's better than ninety-five percent of all guys."

"If you keep that up, I'll start believing the lies you tell about me."

"Good," she whispered before delivering a scorching kiss. She sat back with a satisfied smirk on her face and said, "Does Saturday work for you? Say, around eight?"

"That sounds... oh no."

"What is it?"

He said, "The game."

"Huh?"

"I host a weekly gaming night at my house. But don't worry. I can cancel it."

"Wait. What kind of games? Like board games?"

"This is something which I had hoped could be tabled until our relationship had a chance to mature beyond the infancy stage."

"That sounds ominous. Do you guys at least keep your clothes on?"

"Of course. But it is something which many consider either juvenile or something which only undesirables would engage in." He sighed resignedly before continuing. "We play role-playing games."

He could hear her release a long breath. "Well, that was anticlimactic. Considering the build-up. Can I come?"

"Of course. But I meant what I said. I can cancel the game. It's fine."

"Who all comes?" Heidi asked, as though she had not heard him.

"Vincent, Zoe, Ross & Gil. Sometimes a handful of others will come but those are the regulars."

"Aren't all of them also your closest friends?"

"Yes, I suppose they are."

"And this is the primary time you see them?"

"We occasionally do other things together, but this is our only regularly scheduled event."

"I couldn't take that away from you. I'll just join in, if you're ok with them meeting your girlfriend?"

"Of course," he answered quickly. "I'd love for you to meet them. And vice versa."

"Perfect. And we can do the thing with Naomi on Friday, if you're ok with seeing me two nights in a row."

"I want to see as much of you as I can, Heidi."

She pulled her shirt up to reveal her braless breasts briefly before saying, "You can see as much of me as you want, whenever you want. Perks of being my boyfriend."

"Just to clarify, your stated position is that you are not, in fact, a supernatural being?" he whispered huskily.

"Only in your mind," she replied brightly before leaning in to claim his lips.

100011

"What's wrong, babe?" Heidi asked worriedly.

"Nothing," Colwyn replied distractedly as he checked his watch for the seventy-eighth time in the past hour.

"Are you ashamed of me meeting your friends?"

"What? No!"

"What then? Do you think we'll ruin your game?"

"No. Nothing like that. I just really want them to like you. And vice versa."

She kissed him and said, "Don't sweat it, babe. I'm sure everything will go great. Naomi and Oscar should be here shortly. I'll warn you, she is physically and emotionally incapable of attending a social event and not bringing food."

Colwyn smiled and said, "That's ok. Some of these guys can really pack it away. Wait until you meet Vincent."

"Why is he..."

"Enormous? Pretty much."

Moments later, the app on Colwyn's phone informed him that the perimeter had been breached. He recognized Naomi's car and took Heidi's hand to meet them at the front door. Upon admitting them, the predicted round of handshakes took place and soon Colwyn found himself sharing a beer in the kitchen with Oscar while Naomi and Heidi huddled together in the living room. Colwyn stood mute, being almost entirely immune to the social awkwardness that compelled most people to fill the silence with words. Oscar apparently was not similarly afflicted, as he was compelled to break the silence moments later.

"So, how long you known Heidi?"

"A few months."

"She's a good... um..." Oscar chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck in unease. "If I say girl, it sounds condescending. If I say woman, it sounds like I'm into her. Why don't we go with person? She's a good person. I can't remember the last time I saw her this happy. Certainly not since..."

"I know about her mother," Colwyn offered. "And nothing is more important to me than her happiness."

"Good. That's real good. She deserves that, after all she's done for others. Especially her dad. So, what line of work you in?"

"The answer to that depends in large part on your line of work. Or, perhaps more accurately, your general level of technical acumen."

"Come again?"

"There are those for whom the answer to that question is 'consulting'. Others would accept 'technology' or 'engineering'. But, if you're in the field, then I'd say, 'data science and machine learning'."

"I see. Well, I'm a dentist, so I'll settle for 'engineering'. You like it?"

"The work?" Colwyn confirmed, receiving a nod in response. "Sometimes. I enjoy solving problems."

"Good for you."

Another pregnant pause stretched between them, and Colwyn could read the expectation written on Oscar's face. At length, he broke down and said, "Do you enjoy dentistry?"

"Can't say I enjoy having it done on me," Oscar replied with a chuckle. "But I like the work fine. Pays pretty good and I don't have to work long hours. Let's me spend more time with my family."

"I believe Heidi mentioned something about Naomi giving you an heir."

Oscar barked out a laugh and said, "Never thought about it that way, but I suppose you're right. You want kids someday?"

"I had not given the matter much thought. Until very recently."

Oscar watched the way Colwyn's eyes drifted to Heidi and clapped him on the shoulder. "Best decision I ever made. Marrying her and letting her give me a family."

Before Colwyn could reply, his doorbell rang again. He answered the door and admitted Gil and Ross. He was in the midst of introducing them around when the doorbell rang again. When he introduced Heidi to Vincent, she snickered into her hand before swatting Colwyn's shoulder.

"I thought you meant enormous," she held her hands far out to her sides. "not enormous," she lifted her hand up to its full extension, which almost came level with the top of Vincent's head.

"Been spreading lies about me?" Vincent asked with an elbow to Colwyn's side.

"I spoke the truth," Colwyn replied seriously. "You are the largest person I have ever met."

Zoe said, "'Bout time you found some other chicks to come to this thing, Game Master."

Heidi snickered and said, "Oh, am I supposed to call him that?"

Zoe shrugged and said, "What you two do in the bedroom is your business."

"Oh, that opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. Would you like some wine?"

"Hell yes. Bunch of Neanderthals who think that alcohol only comes in the form of beer. Nice to have some brains around for once."

Zoe followed Heidi into the kitchen as Vincent and Colwyn watched their respective departing backsides.

Vincent said, "She likes her."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because when she meets a girl she doesn't like, she'll either give them the cold shoulder or go so over the top in pretending to adore them that they get weirded out and leave her alone. She seems really great, man."

"She's the best."

"I'm really happy for you. Just make sure you don't screw it up. I nearly lost Zoe in the beginning because, after a brief honeymoon phase, I started taking her for granted. Luckily, amazingly, she cared enough about me to smack some sense into me rather than just kicking my ass to the curb. Never take them for granted."

Colwyn nodded and said, "How could I? She's an angel. No one could ever look at her and think anything other than that she deserves to be worshipped."

"You keep that mindset, and you'll do just fine. Who are the other two?"

Colwyn proceeded to make full introductions before everyone collected a beverage and followed him to the Chamber. Heidi and Naomi's eyes grew wide at the room's purpose-built design. Oscar was heard to mutter something about a poker night. They all took their seats, Heidi claiming a place at Colwyn's side.

"This room is amazing," she whispered. "I can't wait to get a tour of the rest of the house."

They had spent all their time since arriving preparing the food which now covered his dining room table. His excitement peaked at the thought of showing Heidi the rest of the house, likely due mostly to the fact that she had expressed interest in making love in each room as soon as possible. She called it christening, which he simultaneously knew to be the wrong term and was impossibly excited to forever redefine the word in his own mind.

He had given some thought into how to integrate the new players into the game. He briefly considered starting a new campaign, but they had essentially done that only weeks before when they started meeting again after his incarceration. He had thus decided on the tried-and-true tactic of having the existing group come upon the newcomers in a way that would seem spontaneous only to someone who had never consumed fictional content of any kind.

He had gone back and forth about the character sheets he would build for the newcomers, especially the women. He suspected Zoe would call him a hypocrite if he toned down the alluringness of their characters, but he also worried that Naomi or Heidi would be offended if he followed the established pattern. He had ultimately solved the conundrum by making Naomi a healer, who would naturally behave more demurely, and trusting in Heidi's adventurous spirit by making her a paladin. The rendering of Heidi's character was strikingly similar to her own form, except for the addition of impractically form-fitting armor.

Colwyn was cheered to discover that no one took exception to the character sheets, including Oscar who he had made a dwarf. It turned out Oscar was a fan of fantasy books and knew the high value dwarves had as fighters. Zoe had impassively perused Heidi and Naomi's character sheets, giving a begrudging nod of approval.

The game started slowly, with Colwyn giving much more leeway for chatter than he normally permitted. At first, his leniency surprised him. But the more the game progressed, the more he was able to admit that the game itself was ancillary. What mattered was the fellowship of the humans around the table, not the pretend characters that were their avatars. He kept the game moving, as much out of habit as anything else. But watching the forming friendships, especially between Heidi and the others, truly touched him in a way that made his breath catch.

As the game wrapped up for the evening and Heidi helped him show everyone out, he found himself thanking everyone with genuine emotion. Only Vincent seemed to pick up on the import of Colwyn's farewell, pulling him into a one-armed hug and whispering, "She's really great. I'm happy for you," before they departed.

After closing the door behind them and activating the security system, Colwyn turned to find Heidi regarding him with a coquettish expression. She twirled a lock of hair playfully and said, "Can I have a tour now?"

"I am yours to command."

"Sounds tempting. But, tour first."

They started in the basement, with Colwyn showing off the media room and the unfinished space, which still took up half the floor. They then proceeded outside to where the pool was still covered. The area also featured a comfortable covered space near a fireplace and a grill.

"Does that work?" Heidi asked, pointing at the fireplace.

"As far as I know."

"Then I hope this is a false spring," she said of the temperate weather which had become the norm over recent weeks, despite it only being mid-March. "It would be so awesome to make love out here in front of the fire, covered by a mound of blankets."

"I find your logic unassailable. I shall order a cold front, forthwith."

She laughed and molded against his side, hugging him tightly. "I want to make love with you everywhere, babe."

"Same. Shall we finish the tour?"

He led her upstairs, briefly showing off each of the guest rooms before leading her into the master. She gasped when she saw the bathroom, which featured a whirlpool tub large enough for two and a shower large enough for a basketball team.

"So many places for me to have my way with you," she murmured wickedly.

They reentered the master and she looked around inquisitively. "Where's the fourth bedroom?"

He raised an eyebrow, more out of interest in her thought process than because he had anything to hide.

"There's a space missing, unless your closet is huge."

He said, "Let's go check."

They entered the modest sized closet. When he flicked on the light, she said, "It's nice, but there's still something missing."

He proceeded silently to the rear of the closet and pushed the clothing out of the way. He turned to face her, ensuring he had her attention, before pushing his hand against a non-descript piece of the wall only a few inches off the floor. A panel popped open to reveal a keypad. Colwyn keyed in a lengthy sequence of numbers.

"I can text you the code later. As you can see, it's rather long."

When he finished entering the code, a soft click emanated from behind the wall. The entryway took up the entire back wall of the closet and Colwyn pushed it gently to reveal an opening large enough to admit a person.

"Now that's a big door," Heidi murmured playfully.

They entered the Refuge and approached his desk which, other than the rack of computers in the corner, was the only furnishing in the room. The windows had been blacked out and the walls were painted a deep mahogany. The only light in the room came from a circular strip of LED's which was adhered to the ceiling.

Heidi gestured to the rack of servers in the corner and said, "Is that where you keep your Content?"

He nodded, a serious expression on his face. "I wanted you to watch me delete it."

"Why?"

"Because it is no longer necessary. I am with you now."

She frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "You don't have to do this for me, babe. I'm not bothered by it, I swear. If I'm honest, I'd even fantasized about us enjoying it together. You know, we go down on each other while we watch? Could be fun."

"All I need is you."

She sighed and said, "Don't delete it. Not yet. I'm crazy about you babe, I really am. But you can't put all this on me just yet. I want so much to be everything for you, but the thought of smothering you, or allowing you to smother me, is something we can't ignore. I don't need you to perform some grand gesture to prove you're committed to me; I just need you. I'm also not going to throw out everything I have in my second bedroom. Not because I have any intention of returning to that life, but because you and I might want to enjoy some of those things together. Or I might want to enjoy them alone while you're away. Leave it, Colwyn. If you don't want to pleasure yourself to your Content anymore, that's fine. I'm thrilled about the prospect of participating in all your orgasms. But you needn't pour your whole life into our relationship. You're still you, babe. You're just also part of us. I've been in suffocatingly codependent relationships before, they don't last. They can't. If we're going to last, we still need to each retain our own identity. It is your Content, babe. I can't tell you what to do with it. I can only say that it would disappoint me if you delete it on my account."

"Very well. I will leave it as you have asked. But I have no wish to view it. I will if you truly wish it, but it is not my preference. Think of it like a life-long smoker finally kicking the habit, only to have a friend offer them a butt when they're out drinking one night."

"I understand, babe. And I'm far from disappointed. I have so many other fantasies to involve you in. But, since we're here, no point in not starting here with our christening initiative."

"You have a wicked mind, my dear."

"I know," she replied impishly. "But you love it."

The Game Master

by Jake Lazarus

Copyright © 2022 Jake Lazarus

All rights reserved.

This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the author (except for the use of brief quotations in a review).

This is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, business, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.