Chapter 45

John carried his and Anita’s luggage down the back stairs and out to the garage. The family’s luggage consisted of a three-piece set of matching soft-side Samsonite, as well as an ancient nylon hanging bag he had owned since college. Over the years, he and Anita had settled into a comfortable situation with the luggage. They would split the largest suitcase and the hanging bag, while the girls would share the other two bags. Whatever else they had packed was basically so much trash in the wreck of their station wagon.

He never called for Reeves’ help even though it had been offered; he was still rather uncomfortable dealing with servants. It was a world away from what he was used to. He was a bit surprised that nobody seemed to be around. The kitchen was empty and neither Jeanine nor Tony was wandering through. He did, however, find Reeves in the garage. The twins’ luggage was sitting on the floor of the garage by the open door. Reeves had retrieved the keys to the Jeep and had backed it up to the garage, and now the tailgate was up, and he was examining how to store everything.

“I’d have been happy to get those, sir!” he said, seeing John approach.

“Forget it! I just can’t get used to having people wait on me. Where is everyone?” replied John.

“Well, the Doctor and Mrs. Jenson were upstairs in their suite a little bit ago,” the butler answered. Giving a sly smile, he continued, “As for the others, they’ve been in and out of your daughters’ room, helping them pack and whatnot.”

John’s eyebrows lifted at this. “All three of them had to help the girls pack?” Reeves gave another smile and John started. “All four of you?” Reeves nodded and grinned. “Let me guess, the bags have been packed for the last couple of hours?” It was now approaching half past eleven. The girls had gone upstairs to pack at nine.

“That would probably be correct.”

“So, I would be correct in assuming that the only things getting stuffed in that room would be Laurie and Cory, right?” John laughed and shook his head in amazement. “Well, maybe they’ll sleep the entire way home. They should! Fucking your brains out does tend to make you sleepy!”

“It makes guys sleepy. It makes women horny for more,” countered the older man. He grabbed the largest of the suitcases and set it upright in the back of the Jeep. He didn’t like that arrangement, so he flipped it onto the side, flat.

“So, have all four of you been up there since breakfast?” asked John, handing over another bag.

Reeves shrugged his shoulders. “Off and on, in more ways than one, I suppose. We’ve always managed to keep somebody downstairs and working, but the other three have been giving Laurie and Cory a royal sendoff.” The butler grabbed the third bag and set it besides the two stacked up. “So, the boss gave you a supply of your own, huh? Welcome to the club.”

It took John a second to understand what Reeves was referring to. “Oh, yeah! This is just so damn weird! Does everyone here know about this stuff?”

“Yes, we do, we have to, living here and all. The Doctor occasionally gives a vial to a friend such as yourself. We never talk about it with them, ever. I gather you weren’t planning to discuss it with the ladies?” John shook his head. “See, we never know who the guest has told in their family; it’s always safer to say nothing unless someone asks you.”

“So, I’m asking now,” responded John. “This stuff is for real? It really works like Super-Viagra and is safe? Who else has it?”

“The last question is the easiest. We won’t tell you. It should be kept discretely. Don’t tell anyone. Assuming you received a standard vial...” John pulled the small bottle from his pocket, showing it to Reeves, who nodded in return. “ ... then you have enough for about six months. It really does work.”

“What if I put too much into a drink? Can you overdose on it?”

Reeves gave a wry smile. “Be a hell of a way to go, wouldn’t it? Seriously, the compound shows a range of effect. The lowest level that a response is seen is at about the tenth of a dose level, that’s where women and men start feeling extra horny and physical changes can be seen. The effect rises rapidly but tapers off, and the maximum dosage occurs at about the two times level. Beyond that, any increase is simply wasted.”

“What happens at that maximum level?” asked John.

Reeves grinned widely. “For about twenty-four hours, until the blood levels return to a normal dosage, the victim is perpetually horny and can’t get enough sex, no matter what! It happened a few times in the early days, while the Doctor, Mrs. Jenson, and I were experimenting with the dosage. I remember once when both the Doctor and I overdosed and wore his wife out before we were done. She couldn’t sit for a week!”

John simply shook his head in amazement. “This is just so weird! So, if we aren’t the only ones who know about this, why doesn’t some drug company start making it?”

Malcolm entered the garage as John asked this, and as the others turned to him, he answered it. “Well, not all that many people know about it, for one thing. I’m the only source, and I know how much a supply will last the average user. If you sell a sample to a drug company, you won’t have any for yourself, will you? I believe that at least one drug company already has a sample and is working on it, slowly at least”

“Why slowly? I’d think this stuff would be like the Holy Grail for sex researchers.”

“Really? You forget the deadly side effect!”

“What?” asked John.

Malcolm gave a wicked grin. “You’re right, if it only affected men, it would be unbelievably popular, but it affects women, too. Half the religions in the world would condemn it because it would make women more sexually active. We live in a very paternalistic world, John. It’s one thing for a man to have the ability to screw around with a half dozen women. Just look at Hugh Hefner, for God’s sake! But for a woman to be sexually demanding in the same way would be horrifying. Just look at the nonsense when a Madonna or Liz Taylor marry a string of men.”

John blinked in surprise at this. Malcolm continued, “Besides, only I know the exact manufacturing method. I never use the same lab facility twice and never keep a written formula or notes.” He tapped the side of his head. “It’s all up here.”

“Do the world a favor, Malcolm. Pass the secret along on your death bed!” said John with a laugh.

Malcolm smiled. “Come on, let’s go see what our wives are up to. I think I know perfectly well what everybody else is doing!”

Malcolm led John up the back stairs, leaving Reeves to finish packing the Jeep. They waited a moment in the hallway, listening to the moans and groans coming from the twins’ room. Shaking his head in disbelief, John rapped smartly on their door. “Hey, you two, you have to get packed, remember?” He muttered to himself as they protested their innocence and imminent readiness, then opened the door to his and Anita’s bedroom.