Chapter 6

Dressed in a translucent gown, Cynthia stood outside the room listening to Harriet’s screams. The noises had started almost immediately upon Sid’s arrival to the room and didn’t seem to be coming to an end. She looked over at Sally and asked, “Is she going to be okay?” “She’s going to be fine. It sounds like she’s got a hair trigger,” Sally said with a smile. “If you say so,” Cynthia said walking over to the couch. She sat down able to hear the sounds just as easily from there. “You’re going to be the envy of every woman on Cassandra,” Sally said listening to the noises coming out of the room. The volume of Harriet’s screams had just increased a little more. Cynthia shifted nervously in her seat. She said, “This is making me a little horny.” “Same here,” Sally said with a smile. “When will it be our turn?” Cynthia asked distracted by the noises coming from the bedroom. It sounded like Harriet was having a real good time in there. Sally shrugged her shoulders and said, “That all depends on Harriet. She risked her life for this chance so she’s in charge for now.” “Oh,” Cynthia said. It was really easy to forget that at times. Sally smiled and said, “I can’t believe that my Hero has a Hero Companion.” “What’s life like on Cassandra?” Cynthia asked hoping that a more serious conversation would distract her from the sounds coming from the bedroom. Sally frowned and answered, “From the kinds of things that you and Sid have said about Earth, I think that before the war we were a lot like the people of Earth. It seems to me that the women of Cassandra always were a little more interested in sex than men. I guess we took the men for granted. We were interested in sex and it wasn’t too difficult to entice the men into being interested in sex. There were lots of games between the sexes, with men making petty little demands for our attention. “After the war, life for women became very difficult. With the men almost totally losing interest in sex, the focus of our lives shifted from taking care of the day to day details, to trying to have children. We found that we had to become much more focused on seduction. It really changed our entire society.” “I guess I have a hard time imagining men not being interested in sex,” Cynthia said. Sally nodded her head and said, “Every minute of every day, women of Cassandra spend their time trying to attract the attention of a man. Every move, every gesture, we make is intended to convey our willingness to have sex without scaring off the man. Crass overt sexual signals will send a male from Cassandra running for the hills. “The men of Cassandra have very fragile egos. It doesn’t take much to destroy their sense of self. The war was particularly hard on them. If a woman wants to have a child with a man from Cassandra, then they have to be very careful in how they treat him. The games that used to work before the war don’t work today. “We have become the masters of subtlety. Everything we do is to entice the men of Cassandra into desiring us. It may take us a week to entice our husbands into bed. One moment of inattention can kill his interest. One misplaced word or moment of aggression can scare him away.” “I haven’t noticed you or Harriet being all that subtle,” Cynthia said with a raised eyebrow. “You’re right. Seeing how willing and able Sid is to have sex, kind of overwhelms our normal reserve. I fear that we act like total idiots around him. We are so much more aggressive around men from Earth, but that is only because we can be that way,” Sally answered. “Oh,” Cynthia said. “Heroes from Earth are our fantasy males. They are strong, courageous, and virile. They are potent sex symbols.” “I guess I can understand that,” Cynthia said. It seemed to her that on Earth, male sex symbols were androgynous characters, rather than real men. She said, “Sid is very impressed with the women of Cassandra. I am, too, but I can’t quite put my finger on what impresses me.” Smiling at the other woman, Sally said, “I have noticed that you are rather demanding in how you deal with Sid.” “What?” Cynthia asked. Sally answered, “You need to learn subtlety. You need to learn how to let Sid know every minute of the day that you desire him, and you have to do it without overwhelming him.” Cynthia thought about the kinds of comments that Sid made about manners. The whole purpose of manners was to let the other person know that they were foremost in your thoughts. It was all about making others the subject of attention. The women of Earth weren’t spoiled, they were selfish. She said, “I never thought about it like that.” Sid stepped out of bed feeling fresh and alert. He’d finally gotten a full night’s sleep, and had been able to wake naturally. As much as he enjoyed waking up with attention being given to his dick, it was nice to wake up without the demand to perform. He had lain in bed this morning, just enjoying a few minutes of peace and quiet. After visiting the toilet, he decided that it was time to see the women. He put on the robe that was on the bed and left the bedroom. Sally, Cynthia, and Harriet were seated around the coffee table drinking coffee and eating breakfast pastries. Smiling at them, he said, “Good morning, ladies.” Together, all three women chimed, “Good morning.” Sally looked up at the ceiling and said, “One coffee, please.” A cup of hot coffee appeared on the coffee table. Smiling over at Sally, Sid said, “Thank you. You always seem to know what I want.” “You’re welcome,” Sally said with a nod of her head. “You look refreshed,” Cynthia said commenting on his appearance. “I feel great, this morning,” Sid said taking a seat in a chair across from them. Harriet said, “We thought you could use a little rest this morning.” “I appreciate it,” Sid said looking over the three women. They were dressed a little more conservatively than usual. Rather than loin cloths or transparent gowns, their outfits were classically cut dresses. He liked the change. It was a nice contrast to their usual attire. He relaxed in his chair. When Cynthia crossed her ankles, he noticed her legs. He wondered if she was wearing real stockings. He shook his head to clear his mind of those kinds of thoughts. Sally said, “The month is almost over.” “I know,” Sid said. “Sally was just reminding me of the things that were happening on Earth when we left. It is amazing the kinds of details you forget after six weeks,” Cynthia said. Nodding his head, Sid said, “You should try to remember what was happening back on Earth after two years have passed.” “I can’t imagine,” Cynthia said with a smile. Sid had been rather forgetful after his last visit to Crossroads. At the time she hadn’t understood the reasons. She lifted a stray lock of hair with a finger and put it back into place. “I appreciate how Sally reminds me of what was happening when I left Earth. You’ll come to appreciate it, as well,” Sid said. “It is my pleasure,” Sally said. She leaned her head back and shook it. Her hair settled around her shoulders. “I already do,” Cynthia said, “She reminded me that we’re going to have a test in our literature class this week. We should probably spend Sunday studying for it. I hardly remember what books we had read. I’m sure that you can use the refresher as well.” “The only one I remember is Don Quixote,” Sid said turning his attention from Sally back to Cynthia. “We’ll have to look it up in our class notes,” Cynthia said. She leaned forward and picked up her cup of coffee. Harriet smiled when Sid checked out Cynthia’s cleavage. Cynthia added, “It is a good thing that you take very detailed notes.” “I had to learn to do that,” Sid said with a shrug of his shoulders. He looked at the three women sitting across from him thinking that he had to be the luckiest guy in the universe. He couldn’t believe how nice they looked this morning. Sally shifted in her seat. When Sid looked at her, she said, “Cynthia is so lucky to have you in her life.” “I am,” Cynthia said giving Sid a small smile. “I’m the lucky one,” Sid said. Harriet leaned forward to pick up a little of the pastry. Her top was a little looser than Cynthia’s, but she was turned away a little. He licked his lips and smiled at her. Poised with the pastry an inch from her mouth, Harriet said, “I can’t imagine what it would be like to have you in my life every day. This past month has been like a dream come true for me.” “Thank you,” Sid said not knowing how to respond. He didn’t want to say that it was like a dream come true for him with Cynthia sitting there. He didn’t think she would appreciate it. He watched Harriet take a little bite out of the pastry. He didn’t know how she managed it, but she made the act look sexy. Surprising him, Cynthia said, “I’m sure that Sid enjoyed every minute with you. You’re a very beautiful woman. There was a very famous woman on Earth that looked a lot like you. She was a sex symbol.” “Really?” Harriet said with a smile. She rather liked the idea that she would be a sex symbol on Earth. She used a finger to push her hair behind her ear. “It is true,” Sid said shifting slightly in his chair. All three women looked really sexy that morning. Sally asked, “Are you hungry?” “I could use a little bite to eat,” Sid answered. Sally said, “Let’s move to the dinner table.” “Okay,” Sid said. He watched as all three women stood up. With simple little gestures, they smoothed their dresses. The hemlines of their dresses came to just below their knees. Their high heels gave their calves a nice sexy shape. He stood up and followed them into the dining room. It was hard to believe how nice they looked as they walked to the dining room in front of him.

Harriet came out of the bathroom with tears of joy in her eyes. Looking at the other three, she said, “I’m pregnant.” Sid rose from his seat and said, “Congratulations.” “I’m so happy for you,” Cynthia said. She knew how much Harriet wanted a child. “Great,” Sally said. She went over and hugged Harriet. Sid hugged Harriet and said, “I’m going to miss you.” “I’m going to miss you,” Harriet said finding it difficult to see through her tears. She had waited for years for this moment. It was hard to believe that it was here. Cynthia looked over at Harriet thinking about how the woman must be feeling and said, “You’ll make a great mother.” “I hope so,” Harriet said as her hand moved down to her belly. Sally said, “You have to go, now.” “It has been nice knowing you,” Cynthia said. “Good bye,” Sid said feeling sad at watching another Damsel leave. “I love you all,” Harriet said just before fleeing the room. As soon as she had left, Sid felt the familiar tightening sensation in his stomach that heralded the need to leave Crossroads. Cynthia frowned and said, “I don’t feel so good.” “You have to leave now,” Sally said. Cynthia and Sid went over to the portal. Sid turned back to Sally and kissed her. In a soft voice, he said, “I’m going to miss you.” “Me, too,” Sally said. It was always hard to watch her Hero return to Earth. Giving Sally a hug, Cynthia said, “We’ll be back.” “I’m looking forward to it,” Sally said with a huge smile. She was overjoyed that her Hero had a Hero Companion. She slowly closed the door.

Stepping out of the closet of Sid’s house, Cynthia turned to Sid and said, “It must be painful for you to watch the Damsel leave like that.” “It is,” Sid said. “I couldn’t believe how sad I was to see her go,” Cynthia said. It amazed her at how close she felt to Harriet. The shared adventure through Chaos had created a kind of bond that she had never experienced with another woman. The month in Crossroads, with the close quarters of the apartment, had given her a chance to really get to know the woman. “I know what you mean,” Sid said thinking that it was even harder for him. Harriet was carrying his child. Cynthia looked down at her clothes and said, “I was able to bring the outfit I was wearing back here.” Sid smiled and said, “It looks good on you.” “Sally has wonderful taste in clothes,” Cynthia said spinning around to make the dress billow out. There was no way that she could have afforded a silk dress of this quality. “Yes, she does,” Sid said. “You’re in your bathrobe,” Cynthia said noticing what he was wearing for the first time. Sid looked down at himself and said, “I know. I lost a pair of pants the second time I went there. I’ve got a feeling that I’m going to end up with a collection of bathrobes and no pants before too long.” “Maybe you should wear a bathrobe the next time we go to Crossroads. I’m sure that Sally would appreciate it,” Cynthia said. “You might be right,” Sid said. She looked at him for a minute thinking about how she had changed while in Crossroads. She was almost afraid that her reaction to sex might have returned to normal. Licking her lips, she said, “You look really sexy in that bathrobe.”