Chapter 15

I went back through the curtain and took the seat at the console next to Grant, rubbing his shoulder as I sat. I grinned. “Everything’s great. You couldn’t see from here, but he gave the finger wiggle signal.” I went on to tell him what Larry had mouthed at the end.

Grant laughed. “This is so much his kind of thing.”

I moved my hand down to rub Grant’s back. “Honey, have you thought any more about what you want?”

Grant shrugged. “The specifics aren’t that important. I just want to put on the show.”

“Yeah, but...” I saw movement on the monitor. The camera’s field was wide enough to cover both the entry door and Larry’s overstuffed chair. “Later.”

Steffi entered the dungeon, looking at Larry with anger and hurt.

Larry uncurled himself from the chair and leapt to his feet. “I am so sorry, Stephanie. You were right, you were right.” He seemed on the edge of crying. He rushed over to Steffi and threw his arms around her. “Please don’t be mad.”

Steffi gently disentangled herself from Larry’s embrace. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.” The corner of her lip curled up. “Down by the river.”

Larry seemed to suppress a little gasp. “Thinking about what?”

Steffi turned away and clasped her hands behind her back, walking away.

I looked briefly at Grant. “Staying with Larry?” I looked back at the monitor, and saw that Grant had zoomed in on Larry’s face. “Okay, yeah.”

Grant nodded. “I figure that’s what Steffi would want.”

Steffi cleared her throat and said softly, “Maybe we should see other people.”

Larry’s hands flew to his mouth. “Stephanie!!” He ran to Steffi, burying his head against Steffi’s shoulder, his voice slightly muffled by it. “Please, please, no!” He looked up at Steffi, his voice quavering. “It was just such a monster shoot. Cathy got behind with the shooting schedule, and we were doing these daytime scenes and nighttime scenes, and it seemed like there was never a break, and when there was a break I could only just fall into bed and ... I know, I know, I’m just making excuses, I should have still been calling you. It was just...”

Larry brushed some tears away, sniffling. “Remember, in high school, when we said we’d always be together, we’d always be there for each other? I guess I thought ... I figured you’d always be there for me, and I wasn’t thinking about how I wasn’t being there for you. But I will be, I always will be!” He was openly crying now. “Look, I can stop working for awhile. I’ll tell Johnson not to send me any scripts.” Johnson was Zeke’s agent.

Steffi shook her head. “That’s not enough. Even when you’re home, you’re always on the phone, doing interviews, ordering clothes. I need to know what we are to each other.” She glared at Larry, I realized that this facial expression required no acting skill on Steffi’s part. She only had to remember how much she hated Zeke. “I need you to show me what we are to each other. If you love me, prove it.” Her eyes narrowed. “Or else this game is over.”

I grinned and shook my head, impressed. That was twice, now. Remaining in character, while obliquely reminding “Zeke” of what would happen to his body if his performance wasn’t satisfactory, required an amount of ingenuity that probably helped explain why Steffi had become so rich. As for the direction her fantasy was taking, it wasn’t at all surprising. From the moment Steffi had described to “Zeke” what their relationship would be in this pretend world, I’d been sure it wouldn’t turn out to be a healthy one.

Larry dropped to his knees, looking up at Steffi desperately. “Stef! I know I’ve been screwing up. No more excuses, okay? I’ll make it the way it was. Remember? Remember what we promised each other? I’ve been breaking the promises. But if you knew how much I love you, you’d give me another chance. Okay? Okay? I can make it right. I will!”

Steffi looked down at him. “Not a great start. So far I’m just hearing words. More promises.”

Larry jumped back up to his feet. “Okay! No more words, no more words. Except ... I love you.” He put his hands on Steffi’s waist and kissed her cheek—a modest beginning to a love scene, but the lingering kiss turned into light licking. Larry’s tongue darted out playfully, just flicking at Steffi’s cheek and then moving lower, moving slowly along Steffi’s neck now, leaving long shiny streaks. The first licks were experimental, intended to gauge Steffi’s reaction and arousal level. Steffi’s body told Larry where to go from there, and would continue telling him.

No expertise was needed to see what sort of effect the opening was having on Steffi. Her hands were shaking, her eyes closed, her breath passing in and out deeply through her wide-open mouth. She was moaning softly.

Larry continued licking and kissing Steffi’s throat, and his hands started playing with the loose waistband of Steffi’s sweatshirt. Moaning himself, he slowly began raising it, pausing only long enough to lift the sweatshirt up past Steffi’s head and up her upraised arms. He quickly unhooked Steffi’s bra and let her shrug out of it, tossed it aside on top of the crumpled sweatshirt, and resumed licking once more, now cupping Steffi’s breasts in his palms, squeezing lightly.

Steffi’s eyes were open now, so dilated that I couldn’t see what color they were, even with the camera on close-up. I was breathing almost as hard as Steffi was. Shakily, Steffi lifted Larry’s shirt and helped him out of it, adding it to the growing pile. Larry held Steffi closer now, his bare chest pressed against Steffi’s breasts, and at last kissed her lips—softly at first, gently nibbling, then both pressing their mouths harder together in increasing passion. Steffi’s eyes were still open, seeking constant visual evidence that it was Zeke caressing her, kissing her, making love to her.

Each was fumbling with the other’s clothing again, Larry unzipping Steffi’s pants while Steffi was pulling down Larry’s slacks and boxers. I smiled. This might be the last time we’ll see Larry in those or any other clothes. After all that time we spent figuring out what he should wear.

Grant muttered “Bottom,” and I nodded. It was student terminology for a customer who wanted the Host to take charge of the sexual play, to be the aggressor.

Both of them were naked now, except for the metalware around Larry’s wrists, ankles, and neck., Steffi was standing with her back to the bed. Larry began slowly walking her in that direction, still giving Steffi’s face and lips quick wet kisses, his arms around Steffi’s waist, his hands wandering up and down Steffi’s back and caressing her buttocks. As the backs of Steffi’s legs contacted the bed, Larry pushed her gently back and helped ease her onto the bed, lying on top of her and moving sensuously. Steffi quickly wrapped her arms and legs around Larry, caressing him, squeezing him. Larry reached around Steffi’s upraised thigh and cupped her buttock with his palm, as both rocked their hips in growing excitement. From long experience, I knew that Larry was gradually inserting his index finger into Steffi’s cunt, his middle finger curled back to play with her clit. His other hand cupped the back of Steffi’s head, kissing her passionately, pushing his tongue deep into Steffi’s mouth, but softening the kiss shortly after, his lips just brushing Steffi’s and lightly nibbling, letting Steffi concentrate on the sensations between her legs. He rubbed his nose gently against Steffi’s, their eyes inches apart, knowing that Steffi wanted to keep seeing his face, while repeating in a soft voice husky with passion, “I love you, Stef ... I love you, Stef...”, in time with Steffi’s moans.

It looked if some internal struggle were going on inside Steffi, as an expression of total bliss alternated with a fierce grin. The struggle, I thought, was a sign of how perfectly Larry was doing his job. Within Steffi, the teenager with a wild crush on Zeke surfaced at intervals, almost delirious with joy that her most fervent fantasy had come to pass. Then the other Steffi would come forward, the one who had despised Zeke for years, with an intensity equal to her former admiration, now basking in the pleasure of bringing the object of her hatred to the ultimate humiliation, forcing Zeke to feign passion that he didn’t feel for a woman he had treated with such contempt and now barely remembered.

In the tumult of Steffi’s mind there was no room for a third level of consciousness right now, for recalling that neither of these events was really happening, that “Zeke” was Larry, a boy she had bought to bring these fantasies to life. For the time being, Academy Boy Larry was not on Steffi’s mental map.

And then the door giving Steffi access to any conscious thought at all was gradually closed and locked, leaving only her physical sensations. Her moans came faster, louder. Her thighs tightened against Larry’s waist. She reached up, put her hand behind Larry’s head, pulled him down and pressed their mouths together, muffling their cries. Every muscle of Steffi’s body stood taut as if she were a drawing in one of my anatomy texts, but shaking with tension where the drawings were still. At last she threw her head back against the surface of the bed and screamed, and a brief jet of fluid sprayed out from between her legs.

I grinned. “Oh, my. She’s a spurter.”

Grant laughed. “Great. Can’t wait to see Larry give her oral.”

Steffi and Larry had been lying on the bed motionless, in a tangle of arms and legs, long enough that I thought they must both be asleep. I wondered whether Grant and I might take a break as well, but Steffi suddenly stirred. It was clear that Larry had been ready for any movement, as he roused himself instantly and covered Steffi’s mouth with his.

Steffi broke off the kiss. “You hungry?”

Larry looked a little startled. “Sure.”

Steffi stroked Larry’s side. “You stay here. I’ll get us something.” She gave Larry one more kiss, then arose, went to the door to the anteroom and opened it, and disappeared through it.

I hadn’t been expecting this. “Think she’s gone back to the house?”

Grant shook his head. “Doubt it. Remember there’s a fridge and stuff out there.”

I nodded. I’d been hoping for a chance to come out and spend some time with Larry. Maybe later.

A few minutes later Steffi returned, awkwardly maneuvering a heavily-laden tray through the doorway, kicking the door closed behind her. Atop the tray were a pitcher and glasses, and two large bowls. One of the bowls was steaming slightly, and appeared to contain a variety of vegetables, mixed with lunchmeat—I could see broccoli and sliced carrots, at least. Presumably the mixture was just out of the microwave. The other bowl looked to be full of fruits, chopped up into bit-sized cubes. She set the tray on the dining table, and Larry arose cautiously from the bed and approached the table. As Steffi seemed to have no objection to the movement, Larry took one of the chairs beside the table, smiling. He closed his eyes and leaned closer to the meat-and-veggies bowl, inhaling the aroma, smiling. “I didn’t even know how hungry I was. That smells great.”

Steffi took a seat of her own and leaned on the table with crossed forearms. “I was just thinking ... You know what we haven’t done for such a long time?”

Larry leaned toward her and kissed her. “What’s that, honey?”

Steffi’s smile widened. “Remember how you used to feed me when we ate? Mouth to mouth. I always thought that was so romantic.”

Larry’s face lit up. “I want to do all the romantic things with you. I want it to be like it was when we first met, and I knew, I knew, I was going to be with you for the rest of my life.” He kissed Steffi again, stroking her hair softly.

Steffi leaned back, grinning. “Okay, then.” She stood up suddenly, startling Larry again, and moved over to the overstuffed chair, plopping down on the thick cushion and draping her arms along the chair’s arms. “Bring it over here then, darling.”

Larry hesitated only briefly. It seemed obvious what Steffi wanted. Larry picked up the tray and carried it over to the chair, and set it on the book table beside the chair.

Smiling, Larry knelt on the chair’s cushion, facing Steffi and her legs. He reached into the bowl, picked up a slice of carrot, and put it in his mouth. He leaned forward so that his cock pressed against Steffi’s mound, his hands flat on her waist and lightly stroking her skin. He kissed Steffi with his mouth open, and pushed the carrot into her mouth with his tongue. As she chewed and swallowed, Larry picked a carrot out for himself and ate it, then continued feeding her with a slice of pineapple from the fruit bowl.

Larry now poured a glass of milk. He took a healthy draft of the milk, leaned over Steffi, and kissed her again, letting the milk run down into her mouth. A small dribble of it ran down from the corner of Steffi’s lip, and Larry lapped up the trail of it along her cheek, as well as the small stream of it that had dripped onto her chest.

Eventually, with the bowls at last empty, the oral transfer of food gave way to longer kisses, with Larry rubbing the front of his body more urgently against Steffi’s, rolling his hips in time with her movements. He reached between his own legs to finger her pussy, his tongue thrust deep into her mouth, their moans echoing inside it. At last Steffi shuddered, screamed and spurted again. Larry smiled, gazed into Steffi’s eyes, and sucked the fluids off his fingers.