Chapter 8: Bubblegum Pink and Playdough Blue

Sam walked into the hotel room to find Max sprawled on the bed in sweatpants and a Puysegur PE Department t-shirt. She was always amazed at how he could see a hotel room as a home away from home. On the other hand, she was eager to get back to their little apartment.

"Hoover's okay!" She said it as a statement. She knew he would not be that relaxed otherwise.

"Yeah, seems to be. They're holding him overnight for observation."

"I'm glad since he is — from what I hear — the only reason I chose to go out with you."

Max laughed. "Nah, it was really my charm and good looks.

"Y-uh huh. If you say so." She had to admit to herself he looked pretty damned cute at the moment — not that she was going to give him the satisfaction of telling him that.

She walked over to the bed and stripped down to her pink camisole and matching panties. She plopped down next to him.

"Hey, slob, ya gonna pick your clothes up?" he asked, beginning to tickle her.

She laughed and tried to squirm away. "Stop it! Not at this second ... they can keep your dirty socks company."

"So — Leia — d'ya hook her?" he asked, settling back against a pillow.

"If you mean will she be attending our lovely institution of learning, all signs point to yes."

"I'm glad — she's a good kid."

"Yep, I like her a lot. She's very bright and caring."

"So you in the mood to fuck, or what?"

"What girl could resist that?"

"I know, babe, it's difficult to resist when I turn on the charm! Want to flip a coin to see who gets to run the show?"

"Sure, but if it's you I don't want to end up fucking myself with the remote again. I just don't trust that things in hotels are as clean as they could be."

"Would you like me to scrub my cock with antibacterial soap before we commence?" he mocked.

She tried to keep a straight face. "Could ya?"

Max grabbed a coin from the table next to the bed. "Heads or tails?"

Sam analyzes. "Does my choice also indicate the course of events for the night?"

"Heh. Never thought of that."

"Not a trick coin, right?"

"You wound me."

"Heads."

Max flipped the coin and showed it to her. "Yes! Tails!"

"Don't sound so damned happy — you know you have fun either way."

"Hey, macho image to preserve! Not like you aren't gonna have a good time!"

'Yeah, okay. No remote! And nobody said it had to be easy for you."

"Planning on putting your time as teacher's pet in D.A.M.I. to good use?" Max grinned. They had met in Defense Against Mind Invasion class. "You might want to remember who was ranked number one in the school for Advanced Penetration."

"Peter Raami."

"Bullshit! I got my name on a plaque!"

"Oh, right, when you said advanced penetration I thought you meant ... ah ... forget it!" She allowed the implication to sink in. There was more than one way to throw your adversary/lover off kilter.

"Something you want to say about that date you two went on?" Sam thought Max looked adorable when he was jealous.

"Nope, nothing. Advanced penetrate me, stud!" Sam worked on closing off her mind. She pictured a strong, thick, impenetrable brick wall. "C'mon, huff and puff and blow my house down!"

She could feel him pressing in; he was methodically seeking a weakness, a foothold, a chink, a place to scale ... a way inside.

"Good, Sam. Except I know a couple things that are going to help me," he growled.

"Yeah, what?" The very act of making him work for it, combined with giving her brain a challenge, was a powerful aphrodisiac. She felt her pussy tingle.

"Well, the 'huff and puff' comment tells me that you built a barrier ... I'm thinking brick. Why would you tell me which method you used? And a first year trick at that."

"Maaaaaybe I built a barrier ... and maybe not. Maybe you are just Reaching — trying to change the nature of my defense." Damn

"Which brings me to the second point, Sammy ... deep down you are playing to lose! Not even that deep down. You didn't say that I should try to blow the house down — you told me to blow it down. You want me inside. Deep inside. You will let me in! Know why?"

"Why? School me, partner." The tingling was increasing. She didn't sense any mind invasion yet, so she knew it was still all her.

"'Cause it's a lot more fun when I'm inside. You know it ... and I know it ... and we know it. You want me inside. Somewhere there is a weakness, and even if I can't find it you and I both know it's there and that it's only a matter of time before you crumble — before you let me in because you want it so much!"

"Good job, Max, but excuse me if I don't applaud. Classic. You are trying to create a weakness by convincing me that it already exists."

"Nope. It's there. The reason you don't applaud is because once you let go of your grip even that much you will start to do other things with your hands. Like gripping those nice big tits. I love that..."

"I know what you're doing, Max." Sam pictured her impenetrable wall. She imagined a trowel, mortar, and a wheelbarrow of bricks. She noticed a slight crumbling on one end and calmly walked over for a quick repair.

Max continued. "The first time I saw you, I tried to be a gentleman, pretend that I was into you for your mind — and you do have a nice mind to probe — but my mind was on those mouthwatering tits ... and your hands. You have really long, elegant fingers ... I saw you and got this really strong image of your hand wrapped around my cock. You know what was interesting about that?"

Sam saw that another portion of the wall was beginning to weaken. She raced to bolster it up, but the demeanor that she showed Max was calm, her breathing even.

"Not a whole lot. Pretty typical male fantasy, I would guess."

"A pretty typical female fantasy, too. The thing was that the hand wrapped around my cock was the hand of the redhead next to me — Ms. Samantha McGill, but the hand was wearing a ring I had never seen before. Not yet, not then. A month later I saw her wearing the ring for the first time. A claddagh ring."

Fuck. She tried to concentrate. The wall was still crumbling but she was still slightly ahead. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I am a Reacher — not a Reader. Haven't been blessed with psychic abilities. Only one way I could know about that ring. Tell me what way that would be, Sam. Let me in."

She fought to concentrate. "I have no idea what you're getting at!"

"I'm getting at you ... getting to ya. So I'm in class sitting next to this pretty redhead with amazing tits and graceful hands; I have the psychic abilities of a kumquat, and yet I get a clear image of her hand wrapped around my cock, and wearing a ring that I have no idea she owns. Did I mention that the girl has just found out upon testing — and what a cute little guinea pig she must have been - that she has the ability, beyond her primary Reach, to actually project strong images into people's heads?