Chapter 39

"Sounds like a nice place to visit."
- S.T. Coleridge

It appeared that Rose was back to her normal self by Saturday afternoon. I do not know if it was from staying the night with her girlfriend or writing a letter to her father -- most likely a combination of both. Michelle arrived shortly after Irene left, and everybody hung out in the living room while Marge and Lori prepared lunch. Traci tried to bring up Rose's wayward father, but a few dark looks from Pollyanna persuaded her otherwise.

After we finished lunch, we began to talk about the logistics of the seven of us going shopping. Since my birthday had passed, I was now allowed to join them. Lori excused herself and reappeared a few minutes later.

"You can count me out," Lori announced. "I'm going to go over to Vicky's house and hang out with her while she baby-sits her brother."

"Oh, shoot, and I thought Eve could come along and carry our bags," I replied with mock disappointment. In truth, I was pleased to see Lori doing something with her other friends. Over the past few months, she had been spending less time with them and more with us. It was important that she maintained her friendships with her peers, so I was glad to see that she was still doing that.

Lori appeared to know that I was joking about Eve, and replied, "Maybe next time."

"Cool. I haven't met her yet," Michelle observed.

"Neither have I," added Pollyanna.

I had, of course, told Traci what had happened at church, and she in turn had told Michelle, Pollyanna, and Marge. However, somewhere in the retelling, some of the facts were twisted. I think that it was when Eve's screams of passion were so loud that she interrupted the pastor that Rose had had enough, sat the three women down, and told them a more accurate portrayal. Even then, she seemed to sugarcoat the feelings that she had experienced that morning. I think the three women knew the truth laid somewhere between, and for the past week I had been teased over the debacle. It was small penance to pay for what I had put my redheaded friend through.

Michelle asked, "Should I call Mom and see if she can take us in her minivan?"

Shaking my head, I answered, "No. It will be tight, but I think if you, Traci, Pollyanna, and Rose sit in the back and Marge and I in the front, we can take the Scion."

"You know, we wouldn't be having this problem if you bought a SUV instead of the shoebox," pointed out Traci. She then chuckled at the glare I shot her. Traci had heard my multiple tirades about our classmates driving around alone in the gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles.

"Okay, so we'll leave in ten minutes?" I asked, to which I received more than one look of surprise.

Traci seemed to speak for the majority when she explained, "It should take us at least an hour to get ready."

"Hmm, that would only leave us with three hours for shopping, and I was wanting to swing by Big 5," I commented.

Lori, who had remained standing once she had reentered the room, began to frown slightly. When I gave her a quizzical look, she waved me off and said, "It's no big deal. I was just thinking that I needed to go there, as well."

"Tell you what," I said slowly, running my schedule through my head as I spoke. "Why don't the two of us go to the one in San Luis tomorrow morning, unless you were after something that was on special?"

"No, it can wait until tomorrow. I just want to check out their track shoes and maybe pick up a few more workout outfits."

"Coolio. I believe the Unitarian Universalists have a service at ten, and we can drop you off there or at the United Church of Christ, if you want," I offered Rose. When she arched an eyebrow, I clarified, "When I say 'we', I mean Chad and Lori and not Doug and Eve. I promise not to even leave the car."

Rose thought about it for a few seconds before turning to Pollyanna and asking, "You wouldn't mind, would you? You could always come along."

"Silly, of course I don't mind. I'll be fine here. Besides, if I get lonely, Mr. Felix can keep me company," Pollyanna replied before letting out a squeal of surprise. Since the two of them were sitting across from me, I was unable to see what Rose did to her girlfriend under the table to invoke such a reaction. We began to chuckle at their antics.

"Okay, we'll leave in fifteen... twenty minutes," I said, changing the time after receiving a glare from Traci.

There was a little bit of grousing as we got up from the table, but no outright objections. Before I headed back to the bedroom, I stopped to ask Lori, "Will you be rejoining us for the game tonight?"

Lori nodded and asked, "Would you want me home sooner just in case people show up before you get back?"

"No, I don't think that's necessary. Everyone knows that Bill is working till six, and we weren't going to start till then. Besides, if there are any early birds, they know that they can call Traci's cell and find out what is going on." I then wrapped my arms around Lori and gave her a soulful kiss. I kept her in my arms after we broke it and told her something that I had not told her often enough: "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said with a grin on her face. She then added, "You had better get going. Tick-tock, tick-tock."

Thirty minutes later, I pulled out of the driveway. I was mildly annoyed with Traci; the bathroom door somehow found itself locked while she had been in there. A washcloth could only do so much, and I had needed to take a shower. While it would have been mere child's play to bypass the lock on the door, it was faster just to use the hall bathroom instead of messing with it. Also, with access to the walk-in closet denied, I was limited to the clothes that were in the bedroom dresser. I decided to keep the jeans that I had put on after Irene left and donned a new shirt.

I found my aggravation slowly fading away as I drove to the mall. While some of it could be attributed to the Black Eye Peas CD that we were listening to, I think it was my glances into the review mirror that did the trick. Pollyanna sat behind me, with Rose sitting on her lap. In spite of the seatbelt that they both shared, Pollyanna had her arms wrapped protectively around Rose's waist. If we were to get into an accident, I would not be surprised if the seatbelt failed before Pollyanna's arms did. Next to them sat Michelle and then Traci, who had her arm draped around Michelle's shoulders. It was an innocent sign of affection, like holding hands, both of which Traci had been doing less of with Rose and Pollyanna. I guessed Traci figured it was still 'safe' to do stuff like that with Michelle. The fact that my girlfriend still had not realized the feelings that Michelle harbored for her made her all the more loveable.

Shopping at the mall went faster than I had expected. Perhaps it was because we skipped over the stores that catered to men's fashion; I figured that my needs could wait until we were not pressed for time. Rose found a very attractive green dress and seemed reluctant to purchase it. It was not until Pollyanna told her how well it matched her eyes that Rose finally decided to buy the dress. While I noticed her looking at the price, it seemed that she went out of her way not to look at the label. Perhaps she was afraid to find out that it was from one of the countries that Irene had prohibited Pollyanna from buying from.

It was at Claire's that some of my purchases were questioned. I had hoped that Traci would have been preoccupied with her shopping in the accessory shop to notice what I bought, but I was wrong.

"Why the heck do you need a blonde wig?" Traci asked.

I figured that 'for my JIB (Jack-in-the-Box)' would only raise more questions, so I said, "Maybe I might want to have you dress up like Pollyanna."

"Oh, Chad! Why settle for imitations, when you can have the real thing? All you need to do is ask," Pollyanna said in a sultry voice. She and Rose had overheard our conversation and now began to giggle, especially after Traci shot them with a glare.

"And the earrings? Just get your ears pierced instead of buying those magnetic types."

I shrugged and replied, "I'd figured I would try the look out before committing myself and poking holes in my head."

While I had not wanted to be seen wearing either the earrings or tinted sunglasses that I had bought, I figured I could get away with donning them for the rest of the shopping trip and then storing them once I returned home. They were disposable items that would be useful if I ever needed to come up with a quick disguise.

After the mall, we had enough time to do some shopping at Costco. When we entered the bulk warehouse store, we paired off: Rose and Pollyanna, Traci and Michelle, and Marge and I. Rose and Pollyanna headed off toward the frozen food section, and Traci and Michelle went to check out DVDs.

Marge and I started in electronics, and I was tempted to replace the plasma with a larger and more energy-efficient LCD. I decided to hold off and wait a year to see how much more the prices would drop. We then began to walk through the different isles, adding stuff to the cart that caught our fancy. When we came across a couple sets of golf clubs, I paused to examine them. I must have appeared as Rose had earlier, as I hesitated a few times at them.

Marge reached out and placed her hand on my forearm. "Chad, I told you it was fine to use John's clubs."

John Caspar had owned a very nice set of Ping golf clubs. When I had commented on the excellent condition that they were in, Marge had confided in me that he had hardly used them. While it might be stereotypical, he had bought them so that he could play with his colleagues. His busy schedule made it difficult for him to make it out to the course; Marge and Lori had end up playing more often than he had.

It was strange how I began to feel guilty. When I had moved to Central City, I seemed to fill a void in the Caspars' lives. Not only had I become lovers with John's daughters, but with his wife as well. The idea of using the dead man's golf clubs seemed taboo, as if it was the final straw on the camel's back. I prided myself in creating my own morals and not having a religion or society dictate them to me. So, why did a silly set of golf clubs affect me so?

I had teased Marge that morning about concealing her emotions, but I must have appeared as easy to read as she had been. "Really, it is something that he would want you to have. I think he would have been happy knowing how well you would be taking care of them."

It appeared that Marge was talking about more than just the golf clubs, so after making sure the coast was relatively clear, I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love you," I said, just loud enough for her to hear.

We were unloading the car when Fran's father dropped off her and Chuck. Mike, David, and John arrived shortly thereafter and Lori pulled into the driveway right as Bill was parking in front of the house. Once everybody was set up around the dining room table, we all rolled dice to see who would be responsible for the pizza order. Michelle lost and (after a five-minute debate of what we wanted) had to take care of making the call and collecting the money.

As always, the game session was a lot of fun. Each week, Marge's role as guide had become less important as the 'newbies' became more confident with the abilities of their characters. Still, Dyntenth continued to be quick on the draw, especially when barmaids flirted with Valcour. Even then, I suspected that Traci was keeping that up more for laughs than anything else.

It was a quarter to twelve when we ended the game. Fran and Chuck caught a ride with Bill, and Lori ended driving Michelle home. While Traci and I were undressing for bed, I began to tell her what had happened in the morning. After giving her a brief synopsis, I started to give her a more detailed account when she stopped me. Taking my hand, she started to lead me to the bedroom door.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked.

"We're going to the kitchen. How else can we act out what you did this morning?"

"Pollyanna's here," I pointed out.

Traci paused for a second before shrugging off my comment. Nevertheless, we put on our robes before leaving the bedroom. When we entered the living room, I began to head towards the sliding glass door that lead to the backyard. Traci stopped me by asking, "Where are you going?"

"Well, I did have a cigarette when I first got up," I answered. Placing both hands on her hips, Traci tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, which drew a chuckle from me. She kept that pose while I walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. We then resumed our journey to the kitchen, and I let Traci believe that it was her influence that caused me to abandon the cigarette when, in truth, I had left the lighter and cigarettes back in the bedroom.

I was setting up the material on the counter that we would need to act out the morning's events when Traci tapped me on the arm. It was not surprising to see Slave was there; the headlights from Lori's car had alerted me of her arrival a minute prior. Unlike before, she was fully clothed. I gave her a slight nod, alerting her that she had permission to speak.

"Will you need my services, Master?"

I turned to Traci and arched my eyebrow. She bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. After a few moments reflection, she said, "Okay, but no lezzy stuff. I mean, we'll skip over any symphonic stuff."

"Sapphic," Slave and I corrected her in unison, which made Traci grin from ear to ear. From her behavior, I suspected she misused the word on purpose to see if she could draw a reaction from Slave, knowing what a logophile Lori was. By how hard she was trying to hide her sour expression, Slave seemed to have drawn the same conclusion and realize that she had not only spoken out of turn, but also that she had failed to address Traci as 'Master's Girlfriend'.

I instructed, "Slave, I want you to go to my room and retrieve a couple of condoms and a tube of lube. You will find it in the drawer of the bedside table."

"Yes, Master."

As Slave began to stand up, Traci added, "Oh, grab my vibrator while you're there."

Slave acted as if Traci had not spoken, so I repeated the request and received an affirmative answer. As soon as Slave was out of earshot, Traci asked, "What was that about?"

"'Symphonic'? I'm thinking that she thinks you misused the word to provoke her and that I'll have to punish her."

Traci's enigmatic smile made it difficult to tell if she had been devious or not. Her smile changed into a grin when I asked, "How did it go this morning?"

"It was awesome! We did not see anybody that we knew, so we went ahead and did the scene. I'm not sure if she came or not."

"Did she figure out the pattern?" I asked.

Nodding, Traci replied, "I think so. At one point, she reached into the cart and picked up the bread, but I did not turn it off. She then went back to the bread isle and grabbed a different loaf, and I still kept it on. I figured that you would have left it on. Am I right?"

Since I did not have much time to plan it out fully, I told Traci to turn on the vibrator every time Eve picked up an item on the list that started and/or ended in a vowel. If Eve picked up another item that started and/or ended in a vowel while the vibrator was still on, she was to increase the intensity. The only times it would be turned off is if she picked up an item that began and ended in a consonant or when she left the store.

"You were right. How did it feel knowing that you were sexuality exciting your sister?"

"She wasn't my sister, she was Slave... I mean, Eve."

"Okay, 'Eve'. Nevertheless, there is something you need to understand about the Eve persona: it is basically Lori in a BDSM scene. I know that I created a back-story of her and Doug being from Paso Robles, but that was only for that day when we went to the church. Eve is just a step removed from being Lori; she has a loving mother, a bratty--"

"Bratty?"

"You thought I didn't notice you after lunch? From the way you fidgeted around, it looked like you dug out the remote from your pocket and then were disappointed when Lori didn't respond."

Traci's look of innocence only lasted a few seconds before she let out a snort. "Yeah, I guess she must have taken it out after we got home."

"And didn't I warn you that the remote was only to be used while in the grocery store, and that if you used it outside that I would not let you take charge of Slave or Eve again?"

Traci's eyes grew wide and, panicking, she explained, "I thought you meant while she was driving! I didn't know you meant..."

Traci's voice trailed off when she saw me shaking my head. "I was perfectly clear on this matter. Maybe it is because you think that the remote control vibrator is a toy. It's not. It's a tool to be used in Lori's BDSM training. Lori has expressed an interest, not only in public play, but also in being controlled by someone other than myself. You need to understand that, when Lori is not in one of her personas, then anything connected to BDSM should be avoided. Lori has progressed far faster than I expected in integrating her BDSM personas with her everyday self, but she still needs boundaries, and we need to make sure that we respect them. Do you understand?"

Traci had a sad look on her face when she nodded her head. I felt bad chastising her, but I had needed to be unambiguous. I pulled her into my arms and gave her temple a kiss. "I'm sorry if what I said upset you. I'll understand if you want to put this off until later."

Giving me a weak smile, Traci shook her head.

At that moment, Slave came into view and resumed her position on the kitchen floor. Besides carrying the items that I had requested, she had also removed her clothes and was nude. It became apparent that she had overhead a portion of our conversation when -- after receiving a nod from me giving her permission to speak -- she said, "Master, your humble slave asks that you not punish Master's Girlfriend by not allowing her to be my or Eve's Mistress again. Eve quite enjoyed having Master's Girlfriend control her this morning, Master."

I had not planned on following through on my threat of not allowing Traci to control Slave/Eve again, but decided to use it to my advantage. "Very well. I will cancel out your punishment for speaking out of turn with Traci's."

Traci arched her eyebrow, most likely at the idea that I would 'punish' her. I gave the questioning eyebrow a quick kiss that seemed to earn me a smile. "Slave, Traci was unsure how many times you came earlier. Please tell us."

"Yes, Master. Eve came once at the supermarket. Slave came twice with you and Master's Lover this morning: once while Master's Lover was eating her out, and another time when you were eating her out while Master's love was fucking her in the ass with the cucumber. In addition, while Lori became very horny this afternoon, she did not come, because she did not have your permission to do so."

Traci had remained in my arms, but had turned to listen to Slave speak. As I slid my hand underneath Traci's robe, I started to ask Slave a question when Traci held up a finger and stated, "One cigarette."

Of the numerous renegotiations that we had had over the cigarette-per-climax contract, the most recent addendum had been that I had to maintain physical contact with the person while they had their orgasm. It might have cost me a cigarette that morning, but I knew it would pay off in the long run, especially when I introduced Slave to fucking machines in a few months.

I was about to mention the additional two that I had 'earned' from Marge, but Slave had said something that had piqued my interest. After I kissed Traci's raised finger, I asked Slave, "Please elaborate about Lori being horny."

"Certainly, Master. It was while Lori was at Vicky's house. Al was taking a nap in his room, and the two of them were in the living room when Lori began to tell Vicky what had happened this morning. Lori found herself growing wet as she told the story, and about halfway through, Vicky began to caress herself. When Lori finished, Vicky told Lori that she was going to her room for a few minutes and hinted that Lori could join her or even use her parents' room if need be. Lori declined, and about ten minutes later, when Vicky returned, she waved her fingers under Lori's nose before seductively licking them. They then moved on to talk about other stuff, but Vicky did hint that she was interested in seeing Slave in action."

I had not asked Slave to refer to herself in the third person, but it seemed that, since we had been talking about Lori, Slave, and Eve, she found it easier to use it. I was tempted to have Lori return to answer a few questions, but I figured that Slave could handle them. "Would Lori like Vicky to watch or even participate in a scene with you?"

Slave was silent for a few moments while she thought about the question. "Lori is torn over the matter, Master. Part of her has always found Vicky attractive and does find the idea of having sex with her appealing. The problem is that Vicky is Lori's closest friend, even more so now that she knows about Lori's interest in BDSM. Lori's fear of losing that friendship is what makes her think that it would be a bad idea."

Nodding, I asked, "Is Vicky bisexual?"

"I do not think so, Master. Vicky has suggested to Lori that she is curious in experimenting, but Lori does not think she is truly bisexual. Then again, Lori did not know that about Druce, so who can say for sure."

"What about this masturbating in front of each other? Have the two of them done that before?"

"Maybe, Master. During the cheerleading sleepovers, after the lights have been turned off, it is quite common for girls to pleasure themselves. There are a few on the team that do more than that, but they know which members of the squad are willing to do more. It is something that has been going on ever since junior high."

"Really?" I said interestedly, as I leaned forward to judge my girlfriend's reaction over this revelation. Traci turned her head away from me, and it was difficult to tell how much red in her ears was from embarrassment and how much was from the fact that I had been playing with body throughout the dialogue with Slave. It was pure happenstance that my fingers were in Traci's mouth when Slave reached the part about Vicky licking her fingers. My fingers had then migrated south and had not left her clitoris since.

I had a few more questions, but I figured they could wait. "I think we should go ahead and begin. Slave, you are free to pleasure yourself and may come whenever you feel like it. Actually, I take that back. Try and only come when I'm making contact with you," I said with a wink. Slave smiled and nodded. I then asked Traci, "Can Slave use your vibrator?"

Traci was silent a moment -- save for the heavy breathing my digital manipulations inspired -- before she replied, "Okay."

"By the way, why did you need your vibrator?" I asked her.

Traci slipped out from my grasp and grabbed something from the counter.

"There is no way in hell that this is going up my ass!" Traci firmly stated.

The cucumber that I had selected was smaller than the one that I had used that morning, but it was still larger than anything that she had had up her ass. I took her in my arms again and gave her forehead a kiss before telling her, "As you wish."

When I woke up Sunday morning, a part of me wanted to go back to sleep. While the previous night's events had made me five cigarettes richer, it had taken quite a toll on my stamina. However, it had been my suggestion that Rose check out the Universal Unitarians, and I would be a jerk if I slept in and had Lori take Rose to the church by herself. After all, Lori had been through more than I had the previous day.

After I crawled out of bed, I gave my sleeping angel a kiss on the forehead before heading into the bathroom. I went ahead and got dressed after my morning routine, making sure that my cigarette case was full before slipping it and my wallet into my pants.

I entered the kitchen (after a minor detour to the backyard to consume a coffin nail) to find Lori and Marge at the table in the breakfast nook and Rose and Pollyanna at the stove. It appeared my concerns for Lori's wellbeing were for naught; she was bright-eyed and bushytailed. Instead of having my usual green tea, I opted for a large mug of coffee, instead. Since breakfast seemed to be almost ready, I went ahead and had a seat at the table instead of trying to get in another cigarette.

Rose prepared a rather large spread for breakfast. I do not know if she was overcompensating for not cooking for us the previous day, but everyone at the table made sure to compliment her. Pollyanna offered to wake up Traci, to which I told her not to bother. I figured my girlfriend would not mind reheating leftovers if it meant getting some much-needed sleep. After all, with the amount of food Rose had cooked, there were bound to be leftovers.

"Would you guys mind if we stopped by a supermarket after service? We're low on fruit. We seem to be going through a lot lately."

Rose was staring at me when she made her request and astute observation, so I hastened to swallow a mouthful of biscuits and gravy. However, Lori unblushingly replied that it would not be a problem. I quickly nodded my head as well, so Rose just gave me a coy grin before she resumed eating her hash browns. It never failed: Rose seemed to know (or suspect) everything that went on in the household. If I was truly paranoid, I would have been worried that she had somehow tapped into the hidden camera feed that was being transmitted back to the CYA.

Traci did end up joining us as we were finishing our meal. Instead of collapsing into the chair like she usually did when she was tired, I noticed that she sat down somewhat gingerly. While her vibrator had been the only thing in her backdoor passage the previous night, it was an experience that she was not accustomed to.

It appeared that I was not the only one to notice Traci's discomfort, as Marge arched an eyebrow in my direction.

There was enough time after breakfast for me to have another cigarette, so I did. When I finished with the cancer stick, I stopped by the half-bath that was adjacent to the laundry room to rinse out my mouth with mouthwash. When I reentered the kitchen, I saw that Marge and Pollyanna were taking care of the dishes, so I assumed that Rose was upstairs getting ready for church.

Traci was almost done with her breakfast when I went over to her. I waited until she swallowed her food before I leaned down and gave her a kiss on the lips. I had meant for it to remain chaste, but found myself Frenching her when her tongue sought entrance to my mouth. The taste of eggs and sausage was quite different from the fruit melody I had experienced the previous day. When I broke the kiss, Traci commented, "Mmm, minty."

I asked softly, "Are you okay?"

It took a few seconds for Traci to realize what I was talking about. When she did, she nodded and replied, "Yeah, five-by-five. Just a tad sore, that's all. I don't know how the hell I'm ever going to get your cock in there."

There was a tone of disappointment in her voice that I did not like, so I sat down in the chair next to her. I reached out and used two fingers to guide her head so that she was looking directly into my eyes. "Buttercup, I need to know that you understand that I never want you doing anything that you are uncomfortable with. Don't think that I'll love you any less just because I can't have anal sex with you. By now, you should know that I could never get hard, let alone have sex with you, if I knew I was causing you pain or doing something that you did not like."

Traci smiled at my use of the name of the princess from her favorite movie for her. She shook her head and said, "Oh, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it last night. I'm just slightly sore this morning. I just don't know how she can enjoy something as large as your cock in her ass." Traci nodded her head towards the kitchen sink to indicate her mom, but I thought I would have a little fun with her.

"Oh? And how did you know that Pollyanna likes it when I fuck her in the ass?"

Traci rolled her eyes at my dumb little joke, but a shit-eating grin spread across her face as her gaze shifted over my shoulder. My head hung low when I heard, "Hey, Polly! When did Chad start assfucking you?"

Pollyanna did not hesitate a beat when she replied to her girlfriend, "I didn't know he had. It could have been last night. I thought it was Mr. Felix that was in my ass, but my head was in the pillow, so you tell me."

Rose attempt to bust my chops had backfired on her, and everybody in the room began to laugh at the two of us. When Lori entered the kitchen, she asked what was going on. Traci explained it to her through tears of laughter, and at least Lori just gave us an amused smile instead of joining them. Rose and I quickly made our leave, with Lori slowly trailing behind us.