Chapter 15

Julian was still in the toilet when Larissa made it to their bedroom. She found her mum kneeling beside the bed in a classic submissive pose. She closed the door; she definitely wanted privacy for this bit. She sat on the bed and pulled her mum’s face up so she could look her in the eyes.

“Mary told you to do this?” Her mum nodded. “What’s her instructions for you?”

“I am to submit to you when she’s not around.”

“No qualifications?” None. “And how do you feel about that?”

“I know I should feel that it’s wrong. I’m your mum. And I do love you, very much. But you, you’re awesome. So confident, and passionate, and emotionally and physically strong. And sexy! And I know you’ll look after me, care for me. I’m fine that she told me to do that.”

Larissa smiled at her. “OK. Sit on the bed. When I want you to submit, I’ll tell you. For now, you’re my mum, watching me with my man.” A big smile for that, and she sat on the bed. Larissa was only just ready when Julian came into the room. She smiled at him and showed him the game collar in her hand. “On your knees, sweetie, it’s adventure time!”

Julian grinned. Not even any hint of surprise. Was she that predictable? Well, hopefully some of what was going to follow might be a surprise. She explained the collar to her mum as she slipped it over his head and onto his neck. She held him by the collar while she finished explaining, and then kissed him deeply. Once she was breathless, she instructed him to stand in front of her mum and undress. He did his best to make a performance of it, and she did her best to stare at him hungrily – her man, her hunk. Staring at him hungrily wasn’t a problem for her mum, she noticed. When he was naked, she smiled at him. “So nice. So very very awesome.” She stepped forward and kissed him passionately, but made sure she was to his side, so her mum could see the result. “Mum, it’s a long time since you saw Julian naked.”

“I hardly saw him! You got on him so quick that night!”

“Well, we’re in no hurry now. Have a good look.” She knelt behind Julian, and tied his hands behind his back, and also, because why not, had a good feel of his backside. Nice. Then she stood up and undressed, rubbing herself against him each time she removed a piece of clothing. Woo, the idea of that had been to get Julian hot but she was sure feeling that.

When she was naked, she stepped back, and looked at her mum, who said, “Wow. You’re an awesome man. Princess, Mary took me some place where there was a male stripper. He wasn’t half as nice as your man.”

Larissa looked at her in surprise. ‘Princess’? She looked at Julian and he’d noticed too.

“Well, Mum, it’s your turn now. Stand up and get your gear off.” She guided Julian to sit on the bed, and sat next to him. Her mum removed her jeans first; as Larissa expected, she had some jewellery in the ring. Then her halter top, leaving her just in a lacy thong, which she then removed. “Come and stand in front of us.” When she had, Larissa leaned forward, and looked at her ring; there was a tiny nameplate hanging off it. She held it gently and showed Julian. “Look, sweetie, it’s got your name on it.” She turned and smiled at him. “Mum, explain why it has his name on it.”

“Mary puts these on me, so I know who I’m going to be given to. And I can always feel it, pushing against me, specially with these tight jeans on, reminding me what’s going to happen to me.”

Larissa looked up her in surprise. “But under your rules, you can’t...”

“Right. But Mary said you’re inventive, so Julian will still have me thoroughly, even under the rules. But turn it over.”

Larissa did. It had Larissa on the back. She grinned. “Given to your daughter and her man. How did that make you feel?”

“I’m really excited. Both of you, awesome. And feeling it between my legs all night. Most of the night, it was hard to sit still. The anticipation, wow. And then you did that thing with Ross and Amelia, and I thought my jeans would show how wet I got. Going out of my mind!”

Larissa grinned at her. “Well, I think we’ll have more of that.” She turned to Julian. “OK, Sweetie, stand up, and then lie on your back in the middle of the bed.” While he was standing up, she pulled the covers back. What she’d asked was pretty difficult, but Julian was good for it, wriggling across the bed and then lying there on his arms. “OK, Mum, you on one side, me on the other.” She lay on the bed next to Julian and kissed him.

“OK. Mum, you haven’t really got to know Julian. And here he is. You can touch him anywhere, ask him any question, and he must tell you the truth. And sweetie, I’m asking mum in her sex machine role as much as her mother role. Mum, you have you rules to follow, but within those, he’s all yours.”

She got a lovely smile from her mum. Julian didn’t look quite so thrilled, and he gave her a rueful smile. “Sounds like someone’s going to have fun!” he said.

“I think it might be you,” she said.

Her mum leaned over and used her left hand to gently caress Julian’s face. “Princess, I can really?”

“Yes, mum, you can really. Anything within your rules.”

Her mum leaned over and gently kissed Julian. “You’re OK with me doing whatever I want to you?” she asked him.

Julian smiled. “Actually, I am. You really are very sexy. I look at you, and I think, wow, my babe is going to look great for a long time. And I can see her in you. Kissing you, like kissing a mature version of my babe.”

Her mum really liked that, and this kiss wasn’t gentle. They were both breathing hard when she stopped, and Julian was hard. Larissa grinned, he was going to be good and hard for a long time.

“I really expected you to tie up Larissa, not the other way around. You do tie her up, right?”

“Oh very much so, but we always practice going both ways. We know that you don’t.” Julian explained why they did it, and how he enjoyed the game. While he was doing that, her mum caressed his face, and kissed around it. She asked, so he told her about the underwear party, and kissing everyone, and what Maria, Ruby, Lucy and Gail did to him. Then Larissa prompted him to tell her mum about his lesbian threesome.

“That’s crazy hot! And you didn’t come?”

“Well, not from them. But my babe will always look after me good.”

“Of course she will, she’s my daughter! Tell me why you love her.” As Julian was telling her all the reasons he loved Larissa, she gradually moved her hand down across his chest towards his groin, making sure she spent some time with his nipples. When he stopped, she leant her head down and spent a minute kissing and licking his nipples.

“I hope this bit goes both ways,” Julian said.

“Well, of course”. She moved up and pushed a tit into Julian’s mouth, and he gave it the same treatment.

“Woo, Larissa’s a very lucky girl. It was lovely to hear all the reasons you love her, I was worried it was just cause the sex is so good.” She pulled back so he could answer.

“Well, the sex is very good. The best, in fact. Every day, she tries to imagine how to blow my mind, and very often, she does. She’s the best I’ve dreamt about, every night. All I can do is try to keep up, try to match her for inventiveness.” He paused, because now her hand was slowly creeping down his groin, in his pubic hair. He took a deep breath, and said, “People can tell, looking at her, she’s a sexed up babe who’s a rocket in bed. And the older guys, they tell me: girls like that, they’re shallow and can’t be trusted. Well, I don’t know what their experience is, but I have me a perfect woman: totally trust-worthy at every level, and totally committed to me. It’s wonderful. And also a bit scary.”

Her hand stopped just before she touched his dick. So close, and Julian was feeling it. She gently scratched him through his hair, and he shook. She grinned at him. “Scary? When she lets this happen?”

“Yes. I love her so much, and she loves me so much. But I do have to be careful. Babe, turn around and get on your knees, and show us your pussy.”

Larissa looked at him in surprise. Show us? But hell, why not. Her mum was going to see a lot more than that. She sat up and spun around, and got on her knees – they could see everything now.

“Babe, down,” Julian said, and she did, stretching her butt tight. “Thanks, babe love you. Now, see her pussy? And her ass? Damn, both look good, but I think that tonight, I’m going to take her ass. How do you feel about that, babe?”

Larissa took a deep breath. It wasn’t what she really wanted, but if he wanted to take her like that in front of her mum ... well it had some poetry. And of course, she’d give herself to him however he asked. “I’d love you to, sweetie. I’m yours anyway you want me.”

“Did you notice the hesitation there? Babe, are you really sure about that?”

“Yes, please, I want you to.”

“Babe, you have to tell me the truth now. Will you enjoy it?”

“Um. Sort of. I mean, I’ll enjoy that you wanted to.”

“Tell your mum what you said to me about taking it up the ass, and the covid thing up your nose.”

“Well, I said I’d rather have the stinking covid thing up my nose again. I’m almost used to it now. Mum, I’m a first responder, so I get tested fairly often.”

“If you hate it that much, why would you love me to do it?”

“Because I’m yours. Whatever you want to me to do, it’s my pleasure to do it.”

“Thanks, Babe. Turn around and give me a kiss.” She did, and kissed him passionately. He turned back to her mum, who still had her hand on his groin. “I can’t imagine what she’d say no to. It’d be easier for me if she did, but I love that she’s so totally open to me. Babe, don’t change, I’m just explaining to your mum what’s scary. And also, I just wanted to look at your ass, and I couldn’t simply turn you over and look at it. You really have a lovely ass, babe. World famous, definitely my favourite, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.”

“Whoa!” Larissa said. “You sometimes turn me over just to look at my ass?”

“Yes, babe, what did you think I was doing?”

“Well, I thought you just like throwing me around! And also, of course, somehow my face always ends up in your crotch.”

Julian grinned. “Well, I do like throwing you around. And it’s a convenient bonus if I can get your face into my crotch. But, yes, I really do like looking at your ass. You love getting tossed around too.”

“Well, I do. But I’ll show you my ass more if you want. I thought you liked looking at my tits?”

“Of course I do love them too, babe, and I could look at them more. You know, mum, one night she just lay there topless so I could look at them whenever I wanted. It was lovely.”

“Hah, well, it worked, the night ended in sex!” Then she thought. “Well, maybe it didn’t work that well, since the night always ends in sex. But it was good cause he let me look at his chest all night. Do you like it, mum?”

Her mum smiled, and kissed Julian’s nipples again, and move her hand carefully around his balls, touching the inside of his leg. He spread his legs to give her better access, and she followed them around, and then drew her fingernail up the join between his balls and his legs. Larissa watched with interest – she couldn’t possibly get closer than that within the rules, and she was really getting to Julian now.

She pulled back, and smiled at Julian. “What a lovely gift Larissa’s given me here. Now, tell me, what’s your story? How does a random boy from the suburbs get to be the one with a big enough soul to be my girl’s man?”

She gently played with his pubic hair as Julian told her the story – getting bullied as a new high school kid, taking up Taekwondo, the training he got from that, the intense interest his dad showed in what he was going to make of it, and the way he learnt to care for the weak boys at his school. Then, Larissa choosing him, when he wanted her, but thought she was out of his league, and then the way she moulded him into being what she wanted.

“Thanks. Larissa said something about the first few weeks being rough, that she was still fragile. What should you tell me about that?”

Julian thought and then said, “Babe?”

Larissa shrugged. “We’re being honest here and look where she has her hand. Tell her the truth. All of it.”

Julian told her. Not just how Larissa was fragile, but how he made it worse, and then how Sal patched them up and pointed them in the right direction.

Her mum gave them a lovely smile, and kissed both of them. “Wow, we really owe Sal!”

“We do,” Larissa said, “and we’ve done our best to let her know how we feel. You’ll see Sal tomorrow, you know. She’s still worried about you, so please tell her what’s really going on, she’ll really like that. Now mum, I’ve got a question for you.” From behind her, on the bedside table, she produced a feather. “In our rules, I could give you this feather, and you could use it on Julian’s dick, and that would be fine. Did the lawyers say anything about tools like that? Cause if they did, I didn’t see it. You’re just touching the feather, right?”

Julian groaned, and her mum grinned. “You’re right, I didn’t see anything about that.” Larissa laughed and gave her the feather. Her mum took the feather, and gently ran it down the centre of his abs. She leant forward and kissed him again. “I’m really going to enjoy this,” she said. Gently, she used the feather on his balls. “I wonder whether this is as good because you’re shaven? We’ll just have to do our best.” She brushed the feather gently over his testicles. “Wow. You jump nicely. How are you enjoying that?” She looked at Julian, and grinned. He was in no state to answer that. She very gently ran the feather up the underside of his dick, and then tickled the crown for a while.

She looked at Larissa. “Does he come from this?”

Larissa shrugged. “I’ve never really tried it. But I’ve never done it with him tied up. And I’m sure his mother-in-law doing it is more effective. Sweetie, just think about that, at our wedding, the mother of the bride telling her lovers what you look like when she makes you come. And Isabella and Ella too.”

Julian groaned.

“Well, princess, do you want him to come?”

“I’m fine if he does, but I don’t mind if he doesn’t.” Julian groaned again. “Why don’t you give it a go?”

At the end of five minutes, the answer was clear: Julian wasn’t going to come from just the feather. But he had totally lost control; he was begging for it, and humping his crotch, desperately turned on. But the feather just wasn’t quite enough to push him over the edge.

Her mum stopped and said, “Well, I guess we have our answer. It’s not enough. Thanks, princess, what a wonderful gift that was, to let me tease a man like that. Your man.” She moved up and kissed him hard and deep, lots of tongue action for him.

When she stopped kissing him, Larissa said, “Well, mum, I’m going to untie him in a second. So let’s cool him down before I do that. Tell me, how did Isabella go last night and today?”

“Well, that was fun! Let’s see. We went back to the lounge after you left, and they were talking about the two of you. And it was good, all good. They were really happy that you came, and loved the things you did. The whole Taekwondo thing has them really excited. Though Bob did tell me to tell you that he’s sure it won’t work; Matt’s always going to be a wuss, though Bob will push it as hard as he can, just for the physical benefits at least. So he thinks Matt won’t get the other benefits, but the girls told me later that they really love that you tried. Anyway, a few minutes into that, Mason tells Isabella to sit at his feet and spread her legs wide, and play with herself so we could all see. And she just did! At first, she couldn’t look at us, and she was kind of nervous, but she got right into it. She was still part of the conversation, just getting herself off while we were talking. And looking right at us all. So Mary wanted me to do it, so I stripped and sat at her feet and spread my legs so the kids could see, and I copied what Isabella was doing.”

“Wow, mum, that sounds hot!”

“It was amazing. And Mason’s looking at me, he’d love to screw me. Of course, he’d screw anyone. And then I see Ella looking at me, smiling, and Matt, he’s a horndog so he wants me. So hot, all of them looking at me doing that. And Isabella realised I was copying her, so she started playing with my mind, taking us to the edge, and then backing us off. And Matt said he wanted a beer or three now that you were gone, but what with us two doing that, he never got around to it, and then I see that Ella’s got her hand down his pants. So the inevitable happened, and Mason ripped his jocks off, and Isabella rode him, right there. And then I look at Ella and she’s naked and ripping Matt’s jocks off and she did too. She’s a very good looking girl! But then Bob and Mary grabbed me and the three of us did it on the couch – I sixty-nined with Mary and Bob screwed me then her while we were doing that.”

“Wow!” Larissa said. “Hey, sweetie, are you cooled down yet?”

Julian just groaned.

Her mum giggled, and said, “Then we all went to bed. Now, this morning, Isabella did something really unexpected. Bob and Mary told me that on Christmas mornings, Isabella used to come and lie in bed and cuddle with them and talk about the year, and the family. She stopped doing it when she was fifteen – said she didn’t think it was appropriate now that she was a woman. Anyway, early this morning, she traipsed into our room, crawled onto the bed, and squeezed in between Bob and Mary. Right, totally naked, just like the three of us were. I was the only one properly awake, so I asked her if I should leave, and she said, no, she wanted me there, I was family. And that woke Bob and Mary up, and then she cuddled both of them, and then she discussed their year, and all the changes in the family, and it was really lovely. I mean, truly amazing for me that she said I could be part of it. She said that when they went to bed, she talked to Mason more, and they agreed that they’re going cold turkey: just the two of them for a couple of months. They’re going to see how often they can do it, and then after that they’re adopting ‘Larissa’s rules’, and they’ll see how they’re going. And the four of them have decided that they’re cool with you two being family. I think you’re right that they let Bob push them round, but why would they fight that? It’s all going to be good whatever, and none of them really like hard work, and they don’t have to. And you guys won’t change that.”

“We know,” Julian said, “and we didn’t think we would. But we decided that we had to try.”

“I understand, totally how you two are, and I love that. Anyway, she talked about lots of other family things, maybe a subject for later. Then we did presents, and not long after that, Mary’s sister turned up. Isabella wised up as soon as the chime for the drive went off. Her face! She just turned to Mary and said, ‘OK, Mum, who’s coming to look at me?” And then she groaned, but yes, she didn’t really mind. Those cousins, seventeen and fifteen, guy and girl, and her uncle and aunt, and they just loved it. ‘how nice to see all of you dear,’ and stuff like that. And she kept touching herself, and Mason and Matt said she wasn’t allowed to because then they were doing the food, and we were all laughing at her, cause she was walking funny. Eventually someone else turned up, so Mary said for her to go get dressed, but she had to be back really quickly – no time to get off.”

“Anyway, she told me to tell you: that was genius, that forfeit. The whole time, she couldn’t decide whether she loved it or hated it. And then, the wider family went home, and it was just a few cousins and uncles and aunts, and everyone stripped and we hung out in the pool and the sun, and then Isabella begged Mary and eventually she said OK, so Mason banged her beside the pool. So there, that’s Isabella’s story.”

“I’m glad it worked out. And I hope the two month thing works out for her. We talked about it in the shower.” She smiled at Julian. “Now I just have to get into the shower with Ella!”

“Oh? What’s that about?” her mum asked.

“I’ve been in the shower with all my other sisters – Steph, Asha, Jane, and Isabella. Just Ella left!”

“And who else?”

“Other than Julian? Showering with my man, yum. Specially when he ties me up first and makes me go down on him. But who else? Let’s see. Mum. And Dad. You, of course. Lem, Dave, Tim, Zach – the older guys in Sal’s family, in one big group after that giant orgasm.”

She paused, thinking. “Also, just Dave!” Julian said. Larissa looked at him in surprise. When? Oh – that must have been when she was blindfolded.

“Well, Dave then. Oh, and Asha’s mum.”

“I was going to ask you about her. She was the one that did the second mum thing with Sophie?”

“Yes,” Larissa said. “Asha didn’t mean to let that spill, so that’s something you can’t tell Bob and Mary.”

“Why would I, I don’t know her?”

“She’ll be at the beach tomorrow with us.” Ahh, OK.

“And how come you didn’t know you showered with a guy?”

“Well, I knew I showered with a guy, and it was great. I just didn’t know which one, because I was blindfolded.” She quickly told her mum about that night.

“Wow, that’s damned hot!”

“I had a great night, yes. Anyway, mum, go kneel on the floor next to the bed.” She did, and then she said, “OK, sweetie, roll over.” Julian rolled over and she untied him. “Gimme a sec,” and she went and knelt behind her mum and tied her hands behind her back. Then she knelt down next to her mum, looked up and Julian who was now sitting on the edge of the bed watching them and grinned. “Well, my man, here we are, your slave and your slave’s slave, the mother and daughter thing, ready to do whatever you want, yours to enjoy.”

Julian looked her with pursed lips. After what seemed like a long moment, he smiled at her, and leaned forward and kissed her mum. “Mum, go round the other side of the bed, and lie on your back.” She did what she was told, and Julian went around and helped her, since she wasn’t as flexible as Larissa. Then he came back to Larissa, and simply picked her up, and then carried her onto the bed. He sat down right at the top of the bed, next to her mum’s head, and arranged her in his lap. Wow, her man was so strong, and maybe just a bit of showing off for her mum.

Then he gently said, “Babe, explain ‘the mother and daughter thing’ to me.”

“Well, Mary said it to me, the mother and daughter thing, so I looked it up, and it’s this fantasy thing that men have, particularly with submissives, to take both a mother and a daughter at once. It’s some kind of extra control thing. And mum’s submitting to me, so what else can I do?”

Damn, she really didn’t explain that last bit right. She was going to try and explain, but Julian said, “A solidarity thing? Or your best idea?”

“Kind of ... both?”

Julian turned her head and kissed her gently but firmly. “Babe, do you think that I’m that kind of man?”

As soon as he asked that, Larissa’s heart dropped out of her. She knew straight away that she’d got it wrong, and she’d wanted so much for the night to be perfect. She told herself that she wasn’t going to cry, but as soon as she thought that, it was too late, and she couldn’t stop the tears. Julian saw, and turned her around, so that she was in her safe space, and he held her tightly against him. She tried to talk, but he pulled her mouth against his face and wouldn’t let her until she’d calmed.

When she had, he said, “Babe, it’s lovely how you wanted to support your mum, and it’s lovely how you wanted to do whatever you could think of, and I love you for it, but I think that this time, that’s trying to be best at sex, rather than best for me.”

Larissa nodded, already feeling better. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just that Mary said...”

Julian put his finger on her lips. “Uh no. We don’t care what Mary said. We care what we want to do. And what I want is always whatever makes you feel great, and love me more. What could I do with your mum that would make you love me more?”

Without really thinking, Larissa said, “I want you to love her the way you love me.”

Julian smiled at her. “So I’ll love her the way that will make her love me more? That kind of possessing her?” Larissa nodded, smiling. “Except that’s not what I want, and you’re my slave. So I’m going to do what I want. I’m going to love her so that she loves you more.”

Larissa looked at him in surprise. But yeah, that would be sweet. She smiled at Julian and kissed him passionately. Her man, her wonderful man. “I couldn’t love you more if I tried, but I’m always trying to anyway.”

Julian grinned, and turned to her mum. To his surprise, she had tears on her face too. He reached down and gently rubbed them off one side of her face, and Larissa did the other side. Then he said to her mum, “So you’re the one tied up, submitting to us. You have to tell the truth now.” Her mum nodded. “OK. So I have some very personal questions for you. You must submit and tell the truth, but you can also choose not to answer, and tell me that you’re not going to. But this is a safe place for you here, we’re not going to judge you or anything. Larissa’s already in her safe space.” He kissed her quickly, and then said, “Oh, your safe space – would you like to shower with both of us?”

Her mum broke out into a lovely smile. “That’d be awesome. I’d love that so much!”

“OK, babe, send mum a message asking her if we can do that later. See, mum, only their shower is big enough for three. They’ll answer later – they’ll be making love right now. Now, I want to ask you about three different hats you wear. The first hat, that’s Larissa’s mum. I want you to know that we’ve talked about you as mum a lot. I know that you think you did badly, and you did make some very big mistakes, and you drank way too much.” She nodded, sadly. “But also, we’ve come to understand just how hard you worked, and what a magnificent job you did. Larissa’s age, with a new baby, an abusive husband, a miscarriage, a hostile family, all those rapes, and you sucked it up and did it?” Then Julian very gently, but very definitely, reached down and kissed her mum’s scars. He didn’t say anything, and then he pushed Larissa to kiss them again. Then he reached down and cupped her mum’s face in his hands. “We think you did amazing, and it’s a credit to the quality of your soul.”

Larissa held the other side of her face. “Yes, Mum, I know you look back and cringe, but also, you need to look back and be proud it wasn’t a bigger disaster. And it wasn’t – both Thomas and I are doing OK, and that’s because of you, not ... him. I know that my anger blew us all up in the end, but that it only happened when I was eighteen, not twelve? That’s your work.”

“So,” Julian said, “my first hard question for you: do you believe that what we just said is true?”

Her mum looked at them for a long time before whispering, “Yes. I believe you.”

Larissa moved back to sitting sideways in Julian’s lap, and leant down and kissed her mum, and then used her thumb to clear her mum’s tears off her again.

“Ok,” Julian said, “Next question. This is about Bob and Mary. We know about you and Mary doing sleepovers and turning each other on. Such a wild story, we totally love it. But it seems to us that you’re still in teenage mode with them. Loving them, sexing them up, as if the emotion and the sex is all that you should be.”

Her mum was nodding. “Yes. That’s exactly how it is.”

“Yes. We think you should start gradually growing up. You’re the sub, sure. You totally do what they want. But when you’re doing that, who’s the centre of their attention?”

“Me?”

“Yes. You. So it’s time for you to grow up slowly – very slowly – and start having a more adult relationship with them. One that builds real commitment, one where you share your souls and make them better people, while still having all that emotion and sex. You can’t go and suddenly change, and nothing will be quick and easy, you’re in a threesome, but that’s our challenge for you. Do you accept that challenge?”

Her mum was slowly nodding her head. Then she smiled and said, “I do. I accept that challenge. Very slowly, yes. It has to be. But it will be.”

Larissa smiled and kissed her again. “I like that answer!”

Julian smiled too. “Obviously, we’ll help if we can. So let us know. Now, before my next question, Larissa, tell your mum about making love with my mum and dad.”

Larissa giggled at the surprise on her mum’s face at that, so she explained what they’d done, and how it had worked, and that then they got engaged. While she did that, Julian gently caressed her mum’s face and chest. When she finished explaining, she said, “That’s a bit you cannot tell Bob and Mary about. Everything else, fine, except the bits about Mum and Dad and Asha’s mum.” Her mum nodded.

“What Larissa didn’t tell you,” Julian said, “is that that night made her whole. She was still unsure about our relationship, about her position in the family. Her head knew we were solid, but her heart, it didn’t. Since that night, her heart’s known, and she’s been as solid as a rock. Tell her about our engagement rings, babe.”