Chapter 4: Fear

-- MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 --

“Ungh ... ungh ... ungh...” June moaned quietly with each of my thrusts. Her fingers gripped the far edge of our small, circular conference table, knuckles white as he clenched her eyes and groaned. I stared down at the creamy white skin of her ass laid bare, her business slacks and bikini-cut panties down around her ankles. My turgid, blood-filled cock looked dark and foreboding in contrast every time it reappeared in the open air, only to disappear within the tight confines of her snug pussy over and over and over again.

And just above my pistoning prick was a small black circular disc: the no-nonsense handle of an oblong silicone butt-plug.

Although Kim and June had first discussed gauging their assholes together with a series of increasing diameter butt plugs two weeks ago, they didn’t rush out the very next morning to get them. For one thing, Kim decided that Adrienne would be the foremost authority on the subject of sex toys, and although they texted back and forth about it, Kim and June didn’t actually go shopping with Adrienne until the following weekend. The pair of them had then returned home with a surprisingly wide variety.

As expected, June had taken to the anal incentivizers immediately. Anything that vibrated was a big hit, although she wasn’t about to try pushing the egg all the way inside just yet. A set of silver anal beads strung together in increasing sizes were also quite titillating for her, although she didn’t want to work past the first two of them just yet. But Kim, not unexpectedly, showed her discomfort right away.

She couldn’t hide her pain, and I didn’t want to hurt her. At that point, I was ready to call the whole thing off, as even the prospect of getting into June’s ass wasn’t enticing enough for me to want to put Kim through that kind of distress. But Kim, in her inimitable Kim way, put her foot down and insisted she was going to do this, for solidarity with June if nothing else.

Of course, June didn’t particularly need Kim’s solidarity. The first time she orgasmed while I fucked her pussy doggy-style and slowly pulled those anal beads out of her ass convinced her alone. At that point it became more about Kim’s stubbornness than anything else.

“I could order you NOT to use the butt plugs,” I warned my hanamuguri.

Kim lanced me with a cold gaze. “If you do that, sir, I will of course obey,” she replied. “But I guarantee you will regret it.”

Okay, raise your hand if you still think Kim’s a true submissive.

Shut up, you.

So the girls both started off with the smallest butt plugs. June could’ve probably skipped straight to the next one bigger, but at this point it was more about her solidarity with Kim. That had been a week ago, and they stayed that way. Kim only wore hers for a couple of hours at a time in the afternoons when she didn’t have classes. The plug was too distracting for her to wear to school and too uncomfortable for her to sleep with. June, on the other hand, practically kept hers in twenty-four seven and had taken to seducing me at least once every night at home in addition to daily “brainstorming sessions” at work. Even seated at her desk, I thought I caught her wriggling a little in her chair trying to get some extra sensation. The girl really was turning into an anal freak.

Today was the girls’ first day with the second-size butt plugs, and June had been on FIRE all morning. Normally she waited until around 10am before starting an office quickie. But it wasn’t even 8:30am yet when she locked the door, shut the blinds, and started pulling her pants down.

Planting my thumb on the black silicone disc protruding from June’s anus, I applied extra pressure in a circular motion, a trick I had quickly learned she really loved. I didn’t mind the way the butt plug occupied a decent percentage of June’s internal volume, making her pussy just that much tighter around my invading prick, although it did slow down my initial entry and the speed at which I could really pound her.

No big deal. It felt good for her, and it felt good for me. And we were quickly off to the races to get her a nice orgasm or two.

Definitely two. Maybe even three. Seriously, June was on FIRE.

“Ungh ... ungh ... ungh...” she moaned quietly, gripping the far end of the table with white knuckles. I felt her shudder even before I saw it, the way her cunt abruptly clamped down on my cock. I paused my thrusting and pushed extra hard on that black butt plug disc while she gaped her mouth open in a silent scream. And I kept up the pressure until she finally went slack beneath me, gasping for oxygen as her arms relaxed and spread outward to the sides.

Slowly, I started pumping my prick once more as she came down from her climactic high. June sighed and glanced back at me with a silly smile. “We should’ve started these things ages ago.”

“I’m ready with the real thing whenever you’d like.”

June snorted, an action that made her cunt reflexively clench up again, momentarily freezing me in my tracks. She then shook her head in the negative, saying, “This is good enough for me right now. I’m willing to enjoy what we’re doing so far before thinking about taking the next step.”

“Fair enough. I won’t push you.”

“Thank you for that,” she replied before getting her feet under her and starting to hump herself back at me. “Now let’s focus on getting you off. It’s a little early for us to be having a brainstorming session and I don’t want people to talk.”

“As long as we keep locking the door for actual brainstorming sessions that produce ... you know ... real work ... I think we’ll be okay. You know I was in a bathroom stall the other day when Stewart and Kamar came to the urinals, and Stewart asked Kamar if he thought there might be any funny business between you and me.”

“And?” she asked breathily, still pumping herself back and forth.

“And Kamar just said, ‘Have you met June? She probably just locks the door so she can get mad and scold Ben like he’s a misbehaving teenager without scaring the rest of us.’”

“I have done that a couple of times.”

“Exactly.”

“Plus, Kamar pointed out how I keep visiting Adrienne for nooners and started saying, ‘Adrienne? June. Adrienne? June. It’s not even close.’”

“I’d tend to agree with him.”

“Not offended?”

June snorted again. “I’d rather prefer the world at large sees me as an asexual android. I have no delusions of – nor interest in – competing with the likes of world-famous Adrienne Dennis for male attention.”

“Goody-goody. Means I don’t have to worry about you leaving me for some other guy.”

We had started slowly fucking again, but that comment brought June up short. She stopped again and glanced back at me with a curious look. “Was it ever a real concern of yours that I WOULD leave you for some other guy?”

I blinked. “Um, well...”

“I thought I’d made myself perfectly clear: I may not be your girlfriend, but nor do I have any intention of going out into the world to find a different intimate partner.”

“Well, for now of course. But maybe someday...”

“Someday what? I find a great guy (or a great girl), fall in love, and then get married?”

“Well ... yeah,” I admitted.

“That’s not me.”

“Well, not yet, but you’ve already come a long way since I first met you.”

June frowned. “Is THAT what this is about? You’ve made it your life’s purpose to help me grow? And anything short of me becoming ... normal ... would be a failure?”

“No, not at all. Let ME make myself perfectly clear: I like you just the way you are and have no interest in trying to ‘normalize’ you. Please don’t confuse me with Adrienne trying to give you a makeover, or even Moon trying to turn you into a sexual creature.”

“Although Moon did succeed in turning me into a sexual creature.”

“I think JUNE turned June into a sexual creature - with Moon’s help sure, and Kim’s and mine and even a little bit of Rania. All that happened because you took an interest, and the rest of us were willing to support you in your own self-development. As for you someday falling in love with ... someone, male or female ... and eventually getting married? That’s also entirely up to you. I’m not going to push you on that, just like I won’t push you on the anal sex thing.”

“But you still WANT to shove your fat cock up my ass.”

“Yes,” I admitted readily. “Yes I do. But I won’t push you. Nor will I push you about falling in love. I mean seriously, at this point I’m the LAST person who could be pushing you about falling in love when I’m in my own state of limbo about not pursuing romantic relationships.”

“You’re talking about Summer.”

I rolled my eyes and rubbed my forehead. “Why does EVERYBODY keep bringing up Summer?!?”

“Because she’s so clearly into you. And you’re just as clearly interested in her.”

“We’ve already discussed this to death. Can we just ... not ... for a little while?”

“Fine,” she muttered sullenly.

“Now which one of us sounds like a misbehaving teenager?”

“Sorry, Daddy. Maybe your little girl needs a spanking.”

My eyes got BIG. “Now where did THAT come from?”

“I dunno,” June giggled. “Maybe it’s because you still have your dick in me and I am LOVING these butt plugs. Next stage of my self-development, right?”

I blinked again. “Well, I’ll never say you can’t surprise me.”

She giggled again, braced her hands on the table, and started fucking me harder. “Want a real surprise? The thought has crossed my mind about marrying you.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “Wait, WHAT?”

“Oh, not anytime soon, and it was more of an idle thought than anything else. While I’m in the mood for out-of-left field revelations, you’re actually a distant second to the thought of marrying Kim.”

I blinked. “Oh ... well ... Okay that one actually makes a little more sense.”

June sighed as she stopped her fucking motions, stretched herself across the table, and clenched her cunt around my cock just once before going completely still. Looking back at me, she set her cheek down on the table and explained, “I’m nowhere near ready to genuinely consider settling down with anyone. It’s just ... I can see how hard you work to juggle everyone in your life. I had a front-row seat to the implosion of ‘The Harem’. Adrienne, Sasha, Dayna, Brandi, DJ ... they went down like dominoes one after the other. I didn’t understand everything that was going on at the time, but Kim spent a lot of time explaining to me what she saw. You say you’re happy with the state of your current relationships--”

“I AM happy with the state of my current relationships,” I interjected.

“But you’re not. You’re not truly ... content. You live in fear ... fear of fucking up the way you did when your engagement to Adrienne fell apart. So much of your current decision-making revolves around not losing anyone else. Not even me.”

June sighed, pushed back with her ass until I took a step back, and then slid herself off my cock. It wasn’t difficult, since I’d already deflated more than halfway while she reminded me of my recent failed relationships.

Pursing her lips, June glanced down at my wet penis going softer by the second, and she gave me an apologetic look. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at my face and shrugged. “That’s why you made the off-the-cuff remark about not having to worry about me leaving you for some other guy. That’s why Emma starting to date Marcus bothers you more than you want to admit. You’re still traumatized from everything that happened last year. And Kim’s right: you won’t ever be whole again until you find a committed romantic partner with whom you believe you’ll eventually marry.”

I frowned. “Kim said that?”

June nodded somberly. “It’s why I at least thought about marrying you, if for no other reason than to show you my appreciation for everything you’ve done for me.”

I scowled. “I’d never want someone to marry me out of obligation.”

“I know. It was an idle thought. I’m not your type, anyway.”

“I don’t...” I began before sighing and letting my voice trail off. Dawn, Adrienne, DJ, Amber ... Summer ... Yeah, I had a type, and there was no point in lying to myself. I didn’t like to think of myself as shallow in that regard, but I couldn’t deny there were particular ... features ... that appealed to me most. I stared down at the floor for a minute, exhaled slowly, and then reached down to pull up my pants.

“I’m sorry I killed the mood,” June apologized as she watched me getting dressed.

I smirked and arched an eyebrow at her. “Sorry enough to let me put it in your ass?”

She smirked and reached down to pull up her own pants as well. “Not today, Ben ... Not today.”

While the plush, spacious office I shared with June was located on the west corner of the JKE skyscraper and afforded us some spectacular sunset views, Dalton had been assigned the plush, spacious office on the east side, and Penny had moved in with him. The floorplans were identical, and Dalton and Penny remained at their desks while June and I had assembled around their circular conference table. Dalton’s laptop was connected to a small digital projector that put up his latest project spreadsheet on the white wall big enough for everyone to see. And he was in the middle of his presentation when my phone abruptly started singing, // Where’d you go? I miss you so. Seems like it’s been forever, that you’ve been gone...

“Oops, sorry,” I muttered while fumbling inside my slacks to silence my phone.

“Now why is that song familiar?” Dalton asked.

“It’s his ringtone for Adrienne,” Penny explained. “You’ve probably heard it across the cubicle farm at some point on a different day when Ben forgot to silence it.”

Dalton smirked. “This would be one Adrienne Dennis, world-famous supermodel.”

Penny smirked. “She summons him for booty calls a few times a week.”

I rolled my eyes and drawled. “Thanks, Penny.”

“Well, far be it from me to keep a man from an incredibly beautiful woman, beg pardon from present company.” Dalton grinned at both Penny and June, neither of whom seemed to care. “Go ahead and answer it.”

I shrugged and held up the phone. “It’s no problem. Sent it to voicemail.”

But just then, the phone vibrated and a text message flashed up. June leaned over and read aloud, “‘Can you come over today?’”

I shot her a look of annoyance for sharing my private text messages with our co-workers, not that the content of this message was particularly scandalous or anything, but still. And very quickly I banged out: Sorry. Team in middle of something. Don’t think I can get away today. And then I quickly put the phone back into my pocket.

Looking up at Dalton, I gestured for him to proceed. “Where were we?”

Dalton glanced at the wall clock. It was a little after 11:00am. And flashing me an easy grin, he explained, “I meant it when I said I wouldn’t keep a man from an incredibly beautiful woman. And we can wrap this part up pretty soon and continue in the afternoon.”

My phone buzzed again. Dalton looked pointedly at my pocket, and with a sigh I dug it out again. Adrienne’s latest message read: You still need to eat don’t you? Bring your team. I just need to see you.

June leaned over and explained, “She’s inviting us to get lunch with her.”

Dalton’s smile broadened. “Now that’s a good idea.”

“Interesting...” Penny mused. “I’ve never actually met Adrienne before.”

Dalton looked at her. “Really?”

Penny shrugged before fixing me with a narrow-eyed glare. “Someone’s never invited me out to lunch with him before. Still hasn’t, come to think of it.”

I rolled my eyes and waved her off dismissively. “Fine, would you guys like to come to lunch with us?”

“Absolutely!” Penny agreed cheerfully while Dalton merely nodded.

With a sigh, I started typing back to Adrienne: Where when. Team coming.

Her response came back immediately. Café Soleil. Noon.

“Right zis way, Mees Denneez,” the maître d’ gestured ebulliently with an outstretched arm. “Zo gud to zee you agayn.”

“Thank you, Pierre.” Adrienne beamed at the portly middle-aged man, a twinkle in her eye as she led the four of us past the twenty-odd people clustered around the sidewalk and lobby of the posh restaurant. We were seated in a prime corner booth and our waiter was waiting for us as Pierre returned to the lobby. He asked for drinks, I ordered an Arnold Palmer, June got a regular iced tea, and Adrienne said cheerfully, “My usual. Thanks, Jimmy!”

Jimmy looked around the table, frowned, and asked, “Where’s Sasha?”

Adrienne’s cheery expression evaporated and she sighed. “She had to work. Long story.”

Her eyes told him to drop it, and Jimmy abruptly bobbed his head and disappeared to collect our drinks.

Penny’s eyebrows went up. “I take it you guys are regulars here?” She glanced back at the packed waiting area.

June and I shared a look. “Something like that.”

“So Adrienne? If I may call you ‘Adrienne’,” Dalton began with a warm smile, charm oozing out of his ears.

“Please,” she replied, preening prettily. I had absolutely zero concern whatsoever that Adrienne would ever let Dalton so much as touch her in an intimate manner, but she did like the attention.

After that, I actually stopped paying attention to Adrienne and Dalton. Adrienne went into full flirt mode and Dalton was equally happy to have a breezy conversation with a ridiculously gorgeous woman. Penny, likewise, had never met Adrienne and was at her absolute perkiest as well. June and I were already over it and we wound up talking about “4D”, the codename for our project that was so top secret we couldn’t even use the target companies’ names.

Perhaps I’m overstating the “top secret” part. Roughly a quarter of our projects went by code names because they were of the hostile takeover type, situations where for operational security we wouldn’t want the target company to ever get wind that they were being targeted. And in this case, Dalton’s so-crazy-it-just-might-work plan involved four different companies in the Asian region (also working with the 4D codename), none of which had any idea we were in the process of taking them over.

Likewise, neither June nor I ever mentioned the target companies by name. For the project we’d coded them 1D, 2D, 3D, and 4D. And while we all waited for our food, I muttered, “Now I wish one of us had brought our laptop.”

“You and me both,” June agreed.

“Hey, stop talking about work!” Dalton admonished. “It’s lunchtime, and everybody could use a brain break.”

“Yeah, Tiger.” Adrienne smiled at me while rubbing my leg beneath the table. “Way to make a girl feel invisible.”

“You are the brightest star in the universe and will be for eons to come. You could never be invisible,” I replied immediately.

“Aww ... good answer.” Adrienne’s hazel eyes flashed golden and she leaned in to peck my cheek. “But seriously. Stop talking about work you two. Be with me, please?”

There was an honest undercurrent of emotion in Adrienne’s eyes with her request for me to be with her, and I immediately felt guilty for ignoring her this long. Yes, meeting Dalton and Penny for the first time had been a welcome distraction and she’d immediately switched to her public persona, but now Adrienne interlaced her fingers through mine and it became clear that whatever reason she had for inviting me out to lunch in the first place had not been forgotten.

Not that we could have that kind of conversation right now with three of my co-workers around us. Still, I squeezed her hand three times in a silent gesture to let her know I understood, and her smile brightened in response.

As it turned out, Adrienne never let go of my hand for the rest of the meal. To our outside observers, I was sure she appeared to be just another pretty girl being a little extra affectionate in the way she kept giggling and kissing my cheek. But I could see the strain in her eyes and read the emotional turmoil behind them, and I felt really bad now for dragging my entire project team with me instead of visiting her alone.

So I did my best to eat lunch with my left hand. Fortunately, I’d ordered a sandwich I could hold in one hand and didn’t need a knife and fork. Adrienne and Dalton kept up a lively conversation, appearing to have become fast friends in less than an hour. And at the end of the meal, when the five of us stood outside on the street again with Adrienne wrapped around my right arm, when she asked, “Would the rest of you mind if I borrowed Ben for a little bit? I promise I’ll return him to work before two o’clock.”

“Absolutely. Take all the time you need,” Dalton agreed readily. “There’s nothing so important that it can’t survive Ben being gone for an afternoon.”