Chapter 4: The Gifts That Keep On Givin'

"It was my pleasure, Rivkah. I'm just glad E'dan is feeling better. You can keep the gift for the rest of the night. We wouldn't want your husband to have anything but the best medical care, would we? See you soon. Bye."

Laura hung up the phone, feeling rather pleased with herself. When Rivkah and E'dan returned home from the hospital, there was a nicely wrapped present waiting for them. It wasn't difficult to find a volunteer from among the newest Omega Xi members to go and pay a house call to E'dan, especially when Laura let it slip that he was one of Dr. Walter's closest friends. All those girls had very fond memories of the oral sex master class she had run using Dr. Walters as a prop. By the next day, they'd all signed up for his freshman seminar being offered this coming spring. Laura chose one from the small crowd of volunteers who didn't carry the baggage of homophobia that so many of the more senior members had drilled into them. After all, Laura didn't want to leave Rivkah out of the action.

When E'dan woke in the hospital, he had no memory of the events that put him there. He remembered the party in the Omega Xi President's Room. He remembered some young punk causing trouble ... but everything after that was a blank. It was just as well. Gregg barely understood what David had done, but it involved inserting a phantom hand into E'dan's chest and inducing a small heart attack. E'dan was lucky that David didn't kill him. E'dan was ready to go home that night, but the doctors wanted to run tests and Gregg couldn't tell them why they wouldn't find anything.

When E'dan and Rivkah arrived home the next afternoon, standing in the stairwell to their duplex was Rachel, a rather busty new member of Omega Xi wearing a very revealing nurse's outfit. In addition to her "head nurse" duties, Rachel was in fact a physical therapy major and could offer E'dan some soothing naked massages. Rachel was patiently waiting when they arrived not only with her delectable outfit, but also a full assortment of flavored oils and creams. Since Rivkah was a physical trainer herself, Laura hoped the two of them would hit it off professionally and Rachel could learn more advanced techniques from the super-fit mother-to-be. After all, it couldn't hurt to have someone who really knew how to give massages living in the house. Laura had offered to contribute to Rachel's "earnings" from her presidential slush fund, but Rachel, being among the smarter of the new Omega Xis, declined, happy to make a professional connection, do a favor for the new president, help a friend of Dr. Walters, and (after Laura described Rivkah's and E'dan's physical attributes in detail) just have a night of fun.

The sorority house was quiet. It was Friday night, and most of the girls had plans – either to earn some money or just have fun. Even Natalie was gone. Laura had set her sorority sister (and secret slave) up on a double date of sorts with Junior and his father. Junior was the last true "client" of Laura's, not having taken on jobs since submitting to Gregg. Not too long ago, Laura had ushered Junior into manhood – an almost comical evening as she tried to tame the boy's hair-trigger. Tonight, Junior was being introduced to his father's business partners at their regular poker game and it wouldn't do for him to go unescorted. Laura had promised Junior's father that Natalie knew her stuff and would be more than willing to entertain both of them when the evening was over. It sounded cruel, but Senior was actually very nice rather fond of Laura and would make sure Natalie was both well rewarded and well cared for. The fact that Natalie's forearm was in a cast didn't seem to be an issue.

Laura looked up when she heard her door close. Rather than be annoyed at someone's supposition, she smiled, seeing Charli enter. Standing, she gave her friend a hug and a brief kiss on the lips before giving her friend a lingering once over. "Damn, Charli! That outfit is smoking!" Laura's relationship with Charli was her only true friendship. Their mutual affection was fired in the crucible of damage wrought by the fury of Brittany Anderson. They'd each gotten their revenge, and now all that was left was each other.

Normally outsiders weren't allowed in the OX house, but even those who didn't know about her friendship with Laura would probably have allowed her to pass on looks alone. Like most days, Charli was wearing all black. But it wasn't the loose and baggy black that she once used to hide in. Tonight she was wearing a tight Iron Maiden tee-shirt that she'd cut into a sleeveless, deep-cleavage number. Below was a short pleated black skirt. The truly exciting part of the ensemble were the almost knee length black vinyl boots tightly laced from bottom to top. The heels were four inches, a testament to Charli's growing comfort in the dominatrix type clothing her friend and mentor Mistress Michelle was so fond of.

The two women were a study in opposites. Whereas Charli, the geek-turned-chic, looked glamorous enough to go clubbing, Laura was in comfort-mode: glasses instead of contacts, hair held back in a scrunchie, baggy tee-shirt and running shorts. Still, even when dressed down, Laura reminded Chari of one of those porn-movie librarians – just remove the glasses, let the hair down, and she'd be ready to go!

Charli popped out the ear buds she was wearing and for a few seconds Laura could hear the frantic roar of whatever speed metal band was current on her iPod playlist before it was shut off. "So, how's life as the President?" Charli asked jovially.

"It sucks." Laura said, surprising Charli with a less-than-euphoric response.

Charli raised her eyebrows as she lowered her backpack to the floor. Tonight the two friends were having a sort of sleepover. Chad had a fraternity function – an exchange with one of the other sorority houses – so he was tied up until late that night. Rather than a backpack full of study materials, Charli had a supply of junk food, a change of clothes, her laptop, and two neatly wrapped gifts for her friend.

"Why so glum? Everything went off without a hitch ... at least until our party got crashed." Charli joined Laura back on the couch. She sat in corner, her legs crossed, her high heeled boot bouncing slowly and rhythmically. Laura slumped in the opposite corner, trying to latch onto just what was the root of her problem. It was difficult to focus with Charli looking so delicious.

"I don't know. Maybe it's winner's remorse. It's like I've out-grown all this sorority stuff, but now I'm in charge. There are certain expectations of me, but I'm just not motivated."

"Yeah, but with Brittany gone and you in charge, you can really turn this place around."

"What if I don't want to turn it around? What if I told you that every girl in this sorority is a shallow heartless bitch? Why would I want help them? They've certainly done never done anything to help me."

"Yeah, but YOU changed."

Laura looked up at her friend sadly. "YOU changed me. You and Gregg."

Charli did her best not to get overwhelmed with emotion. "Maybe ... somewhat. But ultimately, you made the changes. YOU cut off half of your hair and donated it to Locks for Love. YOU sought me out and became my friend despite your sorority's rules against befriending outsiders. YOU tried to protect me from Brittany." Charli let these words sink in. "Ultimately, you'll have to decide whether you just want to walk away from all this after all that's happened, or if you want to make something positive out of it – take advantage of your current 'social capital, ' so to speak." Laura smiled slightly at Charli's reference from this week's anthropology reading. "Either way, I'll be by your side."

While Charli didn't provide any answers, Laura felt an overwhelming sense of love for her friend. Despite being three years older than Charli, Laura was awed by the girl's maturity. With a father killed in the line of duty and a non-existent mother who'd retreated into a bottle, Charli had a maturity forced upon her that none of the privileged girls in the house could ever attain. Again, Laura was sad that Charli wouldn't join her in the sorority, but at the same time, she knew that everyone in the house, herself included, were far inferior. She leaned over and embraced her black-clad friend, glad to have such solid support.

The smell of Charli's hair and proximity of her body combined with her already heightened feelings of love and devotion. She pulled back a little and started kissing Charli's neck, nibbling at her earlobe. She had a catalogue of things she wanted to do to this raven-haired beauty tonight, to express her gratitude just for being in her presence.

But that would have to wait. Charli pushed back, thwarting Laura's efforts. Despite being a little flush and flustered from Laura's sensual attack, Charli put on an air of command. "Whoa, whoa. Slow down. We've got all night." Laura sat back and pouted. Secretly she was proud that the once overly shy girl had the strength of personality to take charge. "It's been a long time since I've had a sleepover and, at least from what I remembered, kissing games come AFTER the junk food!"

Two hours later, both girls were sitting on the floor, giddy and giggly. They'd gone through a bag of microwave popcorn, microwave mini pizza bagels, half a box of ho-hos, and several wine coolers each. They were going back and forth on Charli's laptop, trying to convince the other of the merits of their favorite bands. Laura had no appreciation for death metal, and Charli really didn't care for R&B. Even comparisons of Usher's body to that of Glen Danzig's (in his prime) got them no closer to reconciliation. At the moment, Charli was playing air-guitar and thrashing her head to Man-o-War's "Wheels of Fire."

"I just don't get it! Don't you get dizzy banging your head like that?"

Charli raised her fist, extending her index and pinky in the classic devil horns and proceeded to thrash away, her long black hair whipping Laura across the face. Never having head-banged before while tipsy, Charli lost her balance and rolled backward, crashing into the couch, giggling uncontrollably.

Laura was also holding her side in laughter. She was having such a good time, she never wanted it to end. But when Charli collapsed, her skirt rolled up somewhat and Laura was given a perfect view of the black thong beneath. She licked her lips and fought down her excitement. 'All good things to those who wait.' She extended a hand and helped Charli sit up. Charli came up too quick and almost smacked nose to nose with Laura. Their lips were but an inch apart and the moment seemed to last forever, but this time it was Laura who was strong.

"Can you help me with something?"

Charli was a bit breathless. She licked her lips in anticipation of just how many ways she could "help" her attractive friend.

"What can you tell me about Yasmine?"

It took several moments for Charli to recall who Laura was talking about. "You mean that girl who was watching you in our Anthro class?" Laura nodded and Charli frowned in concentration, leaning back against the couch and opening another packet of Ho-Hos. She chewed contemplatively on the cloyingly sweet snack. "I don't really know her. I never really got to know anybody in class. Actually when in class, my attention was sort of focused on our teacher..."

Just mentioning the teacher, Dr. Walters, Laura's master, sent a shudder through Laura's body. Charli offered up the remaining half of the ho-ho. Laura leaned forward and ate it out from Charli's fingers, taking special care to lick all the melted chocolate off her delicate digits. The act was as playful as it was sexual.

She wanted to know more about Yasmine, but mentioning Gregg triggered another delicate question for her friend. "Charli? How come you never fuck Gregg?"

There weren't many subjects that continued to revert Charli back to her former mousy personality ... but Laura hit the biggest one. Her head fell forward and her curtain of black hair blocked most of her face. "He fucked me once ... and it was glorious." Charli paused in contemplation, closing her thighs together tightly around her hands to stem the reaction thinking about Gregg usually caused. "I love him so much, you know? Since that first day we met, I've had a huge crush on him. He could have taken me any hour of any day. But then I met Chad and fell in love ... real love." Charli smiled warmly at Laura. "I've never told Chad this, but even the night he took my virginity, with Gregg and Heather in the room making sure the moment was perfect ... even at that very moment, if Gregg had asked, I would have climbed on top of him instead and given HIM my cherry. I think he knew that. I think that's why he showed such restraint. He knew that my virginity was something that should be given to someone I loved, not someone I was infatuated by." Charli paused to take a deep breath, holding back a tear with a force of will. "When I finally did fuck him, it was as much a conquest over Brittany as anything else. I wanted that bitch to know exactly what I was denying her. That's what gave me the strength to walk away, I think. But even just thinking about that night makes me kinda tingly. I'm just afraid that if I ever did let him inside me again, that I would lose myself in him ... and that's not fair to Chad."

Laura listened raptly. It took a second for her to see past her own slave mentality, that giving one's self completely to her Master may not be what others truly wanted. 'Charli has an amazing strength, ' Laura thought. 'She denies herself the pleasure of Gregg out of her love for Chad.' "Doesn't it bother you, then that Chad isn't bound by the same restriction you set for yourself? I mean, he was pretty upfront about the crush he had on Heather ... and he had his crush a lot longer than you had yours."

"It's different. I can't explain it. I'm almost as crazy about Heather as I am about Gregg ... Technically, Heather was the first person I had sex with after all. It's not so much that I'm letting Chad fuck Heather ... it's more that I'm letting Heather fuck Chad. My gift to her." Saying it out loud for the first time made the difference more clear in her mind. Charli blushed realizing the flaw in her argument almost as soon as she said it. "I guess it's also my gift to you ... and Emily ... and Rivkah ... and Natalie..."

"I guess that makes sense ... but still..." Laura took on a far-away look as she again thought about her master. "I think you're unfairly punishing yourself. Chad won't love you any less if you and Gregg DID hook up again."

"Yeah, I know. He's said as much, but ... I'm just not ready." Charli contemplated the floor for a second as she pulled together her thoughts. "Laura? You ever find it odd how easily we all fell into this sex thing? Before I met Gregg and Heather, the thought of kissing another woman would have grossed me out." She glanced for a moment at her backpack, considering something. "Maybe it's not all that odd for you being an Omega Xi and all, but never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I'd be in a circle of friends who not only regularly swapped partners ... but who also genuinely cared for one another ... It's like some incredible piece of erotic fiction come to life! Like we're all just characters in some strange erotic mind-control story!"

"Now I know you're DEFINITELY drunk!" Laura said, pulling a pillow off the couch and flinging it toward Charli's head.

Charli dodged, giggling. "No, I'm serious. Don't get me wrong – I wouldn't change any of this for the world ... but doesn't it all seem ... I don't know ... unnatural?"

The color drained from Laura's face. Of course it was unnatural. It all was a product of her master's powers. Powers she didn't understand, but which she accepted without hesitation. Charli wasn't one of the few that knew of Gregg's secret, and there was no way Laura was going to be the one to betray her master.

Thinking fast, she responded. "I'm no philosopher, but it seems to me that life is full of unnatural things. I mean, how did you get here? Would you be here if you hadn't helped get rid of Brittany? Would you have helped get rid of Brittany if we weren't friends? Would we be friends if I hadn't made you cry the first time we met? Would I have made fun of you if you weren't the product of your days at the Black Box night club? Would you have spent your days at that club if your father hadn't been killed? What I'm trying to say is that there's an impossibly long series of events that happened just so, and because of that ... you're here in my room, moments away from having my face buried between your legs!"

Charli almost choked on the sip of wine cooler she'd just taken. In just a few seconds, Laura went from philosopher to slut ... but she still made a good point.

While Charli recovered, Laura reached over to her coffee table. "Hey, Charli, you ever see anything like this?" Laura pulled out her camera phone and scrolled forward to the picture of Yasmine's notebook.

"It's hard to see on that tiny screen. Can you email it to me?"

Laura sent it to Charli's email account, along with another picture. Charli logged in on her laptop and opened the photo. Laura scooted behind Charli, opened her legs wide, and looked over her shoulder at the screen. Charli leaned back and rested against Laura's body, Laura's head resting on her right shoulder. Laura clasped her hands around Charli's midriff and playfully kissed and nipped at her neck and ear while Charli contemplated the photo.

"I've seen this somewhere before. My first thought was that it was Elvish ... but it's not. Chad sometimes sends me little notes written out in Elvish ... I have to go to a special website to translate them." Laura snorted, unable to control her reaction. "Stop it! It's cute! Anyway, Yasmine doesn't exactly strike me as a Tolkien follower." Charli sighed as one of Laura's hands moved up toward her breast while the other moved down. "Uh ... w ... wait ... maybe..."

It was exceedingly hard to concentrate, but Charli opened up a website and found what she was looking for. Laura looked over Charli's shoulder in between kisses and saw that what was depicted on the screen looked remarkably like the scribbling in Yasmine's notebook. kiss "Mmm, that could be it." lick