Chapter 9: Bas

Fortunately, Zulie's building plans included enlarging everything when she designed the new house; otherwise, the eight of us would not have fit around the breakfast table. But there was room for all and we shared many meals there.

One morning, we were all eating breakfast and discussing current events. Normally quiet, Hana was even more subdued than usual. Surprisingly, I noticed it before Freya did. "Hana, you're deep in thought this morning. Would you let the rest of us in on your reflections?"

"I was feeling sorry for Brandy."

Right next to me, snuggled as closely as she could manage with clothes on, Brandy did not look the least sorry, she looked joyful. Her head bumped my chin when she lifted it in surprise. "Why, Hana?"

"Because the rest of us have found the completion of our triads, and you haven't." Hana rested her hand on Brandy's arm. "Don't worry, Johnny will find her. I just hope it happens soon."

Now the rest of us were beginning to look worried as well. I asked the question all were thinking, "Why do we need to find Brandy's opposite soon, Hana?"

"Because these attacks are going to get worse until either he wins or we do. I want us to win. The best way to do that is to have all the triplets complete and trained. If we are ready, the next time he attacks, we can trace him and stop him. Otherwise, he will eventually surprise us with something and destroy us."

Now didn't that make the day less cheerful. I wanted to say something positive, but Hana was usually right about complexities, and this one was very complex.

"Why don't we call the third of my triad?" Brandy wanted to know.

"Call? We don't know who she is. How can we call her?" Freya spoke for the rest.

"Calling is a simple spell. I'll bet Johnny could do it. Then the person summoned feels moved to be near the caller until they meet. Once we meet her, we can convince her to join us and we will be complete."

I must have looked doubtful.

Brandy snuggled under my arm again, "At least we'll have fun researching and trying the spell together, Johnny." She smiled up at me; I was convinced.

"Great. We'll start right after breakfast. Does this spell involve getting naked or anything like that?" I leered at Brandy. "Maybe we will need the help of the rest."

"More likely it requires a virgin sacrifice," Chellie joked. "In that case, we are all safe." Everybody laughed at this.

Brandy added, "The way Johnny goes through virgins, we may never get the spell cast."

I tried to look upset, but failed miserably. "Maybe we can get a doctor to temporarily replace the virginity on someone and work the spell that way." I suggested.

More laughter greeted my suggestion. "And where are we going to find a doctor who is experienced in making virgins?" asked Brandy.

Rati knew the answer. "Doctor Qetesh could. She told me she does OB/Gyn as well as plastic surgery. Shall we call her over for a consult?"

None of the women responded, and I looked surprised. Finally, Freya took pity on me and explained. "None of us wants to go back to being virgins, we all enjoy making love too much. If you asked for volunteers to make a baby, you could have a bundle, but not virgins."

What could I say? I was almost in tears that all these women loved me, so I said the only thing I could, "And I love all of you, too. If anybody wants help starting a baby, I'll volunteer." Breakfast ended with hugs and kisses all around.

After breakfast, Brandy and I went to the library and looked for calling or summoning spells. We looked all morning and it was almost lunch before we found some. Out of the several spells that Brandy found in the ancient books of magic, there was only one that I could understand, even with Brandy's help. I tried it, carefully pronouncing the words and making the required hand motions. After, I didn't feel any differently, so I was not sure the spell had worked. Brandy assured me she could see the magic working. Now we only had to wait for the summoned person to arrive.

"So, how long do we need to wait?" I asked Brandy.

"That depends on where the summoned person is, and what she is doing. If she is in California, we will probably see her sometime in the next two days, unless she is in jail." From her smirking at me, I could tell that Brandy was joking. "If she is someplace with an airport, but in Europe, Asia, Africa, or Australia, we might see her in a week; of course, she might need to earn money for her ticket first. Then, if she is on an island, it might take months to build a boat and sail here. And, if she is in Antarctica, she needs to wait months for the winter storms to break so she can leave."

I decided to tease her back. "What shall we do while we are waiting? I know a good spell that helps time go faster; it only requires us to take off our clothes."

"I think I know what you have in mind, but that isn't a spell, that is just love." She smiled at me and wrapped her arms around my waist. "I'll take my clothes off if you want, Johnny. Do I get to take yours off, too?"

Before I could get any clothes off, or even a word out of my mouth, Hana stuck her head in the library door and announced, "Lunch." When she saw how I was holding Brandy, she winked at me and smiled warmly. "Don't be late, Johnny. Freya made something special for us."

Brandy held me tightly for a few seconds longer. Just before she let me go, she suggested softly, "Maybe we could do that for dessert?"

Lunch was fruit salad and fruit soup. Swedes, like Freya, enjoyed summer, probably because it was very short that far north. Part of their enjoyment was preparing fresh fruit as often as possible. The rest of us enjoyed the fruits and melons Freya had prepared. Discussion around the table centered on other fruits that some of us knew. It degenerated into descriptions of the most unusual fruits we had encountered. Surprisingly, Chellie knew more kinds of fruits that anyone else. She was volunteered to serve the next fruit meal, and planned to prepare guanabana, casimiroa, mamey, guava, passion fruit, papaya, and lychees. Ideas for dishes ranged from salads to main dishes and side dishes, and on to desserts.

The ladies were about to start on recipes for breakfast when the doorbell rang. Doctor Qetesh was standing on the porch when Tiennie opened the door. She said she had been in the neighborhood and decided, since she had so many patients in one place, to stop in and visit them. Of course, she was invited for lunch and enjoyed the food and was brought up to speed on the discussion. She added her favorites to the growing lists; she liked figs and pomegranates.

A hand stroked mine; Freya was seated next to me and wanted my attention. I felt her thoughts, "Johnny, look at Brandy."

Casually, I scanned those seated around the table and, when I got to Brandy, saw why Freya wanted me to look. Brandy was staring as if Doctor Qetesh were a ghost. Quickly, I thought back at Freya, "Don't let the doctor leave. Brandy has spotted something."

It seemed as if the discussion continued forever, but it probably was only a few minutes more. I excused myself to clear plates and Brandy offered to help me. When we were in the kitchen, I held her hand and thought at her, "What's the matter?"

"She's the one!" Brandy was almost shouting mentally. Fortunately, no one could hear us.

"The one what?"

"Doctor Qetesh is the one you summoned - your spell calls her. She is also a witch - I can see the magic in her. Don't let her get away."

"Don't worry. Freya is guarding her."

When we returned to pick up more plates, I managed to touch most of my lovers and let them know that Doctor Qetesh was the last triad member and we needed to interview her and get her to join the family.

"We have been thinking about hiring a physician for our company, Itzamna, Inc." Chellie began. "Your name came up, since so many of our employees already are your patients. Would you have time for a quick interview, right now?"

A nod indicated acquiescence and we relocated to the living room. "Could you tell us about yourself, Doctor Qetesh?" Chellie started when we were all comfortable.

"Well, I have a golf round scheduled this afternoon, but I have about an hour. As long as this is over before then, I would be happy to discuss your proposition. what would you like to know?"

"Qetesh is an unusual name. Where is it from?" Freya started off.

"My full name is even more strange. My parents named me Hathor Bastet Qetesh, but my friends all call me 'Bas' because Hathor was an Egyptian cow-headed goddess and I can't stand the name. The rest of my family still live in Luxor, Egypt. Luxor is in southern Egypt, and contains the sites of many archeological digs and finds."

When she paused, Chellie jumped in. "Tell us about your qualifications as a doctor."

"I have an MD degree from the University of Southern California with specialties in OB/Gyn and in surgery. I was in the Egyptian army for four years - there was compulsory service at the time - and I also learned about plastic and reconstructive surgery."

"Do you do general practice doctoring? If we hire you, it would be nice if you could treat Johnny too."

"I've done GP before. I like my current practice and I'm not considering changing. I hope you realize that. I would hate for there to be bad feelings, because I probably will turn down any offer to change."

"Tell us how you decided to become a doctor." Hana asked.

"My father is an anthropologist, specializing in folk remedies. My mother is a botanist, interested in herbal medicines. I studied modern medicine, although my undergraduate degree from the University of Cairo was a study of folk remedies and how effective they are. All of my sisters also studied at the University and they went into anthropology, archeology, or ethnology. There are lots of antiquities around in Egypt and we couldn't help but be interested in the clash of the past and the present."

"And how big is your family?" Hana wanted to know.

"I have six sisters and no brothers. Families in Egypt tend to be large and close. In fact, my Mom also has six sisters and they all live near our house. We get together on holidays and have picnics and pot lucks."

Zulie wanted to know, "Do you have other interests, besides medicine?"

Doctor Qetesh's dark skin went one shade darker red. "I also dabble in magic. My grandmother and great-grandmother were both said to be witches, and that part of our family history always attracted me. I have studied magic from around the world. At one time, I even thought of majoring in Anthropology so I could have more time to learn about magic from different cultures."

"If you accept our offer, you should talk with Johnny and Brandy." Zulie pointed to Brandy. "They both are interested in the unusual and you will probably have a lot in common."

Wanting to interest the Doctor in our company, Tiennie explained some of what we did. "Our company makes and sells the Triple-U devices, which process wastes and produce potable water, cooking gas, electricity, and fertilizer or biodiesel. They sell very well in Egypt, especially in small towns far from regular utilities."

Unfortunately, she also felt it necessary to explain our problem. This was probably a mistake, as it scared Doctor Qetesh, but we all preferred to be truthful. "If you decide to work for us, we have to let you know that someone, probably a competitor, has attacked us several times. We have security in place to protect us, so you shouldn't worry, but you might like to know all the facts."

Everyone saw the change in the Doctor at this announcement. "In that case, I will have to refuse your offer. I saw lots of attacks in the Egyptian army and never want to be near one again."

Freya jumped in immediately to defuse the situation. "Well, if you aren't interested, would you like to look around. We have several demonstration units of the Triple-U around. Many of our employees have had units sent to their home towns. We also have our own dam, generating electricity for us."

When neither of these offers interested the Doctor, Freya played a card she knew would hold her attention. "We have made several improvements in the framework you looked at the last time you were here. Would you like to see them?"

Doctor Qetesh's eyes were practically glowing and her breathing sped up. "I wouldn't mind looking at your improvements, if it's not a problem."

In a few minutes, Freya returned alone. "Tiennie, you could probably fake the Doctor's voice. You both have a British accent. Her voice is just a little lower than yours. Call the country club and tell them that the Doctor had an emergency and must cancel her tee time."

"Did you convince her to stay?" I was interested in how Freya had turned her around.

"Not exactly. She is tied up in the bedroom and we need a plan to convince her to join us or we will be arrested for kidnapping."

Stunned silence was the only response I could think of. The rest of the family were slightly more verbal than I was. "Yes, Freya!" and "All we need now is a plan!" were two of the voices I heard. I can't swear that I understood any of the responses.

"She was very interested in the frame. I saw that the last time she was here; looking at Rati suspended in it, she was panting and practically drooling. So, I offered her a chance to try it on for size, so to speak, and she jumped at it. We put her hands in the cuffs and I pulled them until she was on tiptoes. I offered to strap her ankles and she agreed. Once she was immobile, I 'let' her try out the gag, and she was helpless." For some reason, Freya looked pleased with herself. "She was getting excited by the feeling of being helpless, I could smell her."

Someone needed to interject some sanity into this surreal conversation, I nominated me. "So, how do we keep from being arrested for kidnapping and unlawful detention and sent to prison for a few decades?"

"Oh, Johnny!" The 'poor males don't understand anything' smile appeared on Freya's face. (Possibly on several other faces as well, but I only had time to look at my wife.) "We just need to get her so excited that she begs you to take her. Then, she will be part of our family and couldn't possibly turn us in to the police."

I still was clueless as to exactly how this miracle would happen. It must have showed on my face, because every one of my sweethearts told me how it would go down.

"I will tell her how good it feels when you hold me. Especially when we are naked and skin-to-skin." was Chellie's suggestion. "And, I can put sexual thoughts and excitement into her mind, like I did with Zulie."

"Maybe she should hear how I could let fear go and everybody turned me on. And how wonderful it was." Said Zulie.

"The joys of serving someone you love and having a lover serve you really get me turned on. Bas needs to hear that." Came from Hana.

"Since she is a witch and most probably the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, I'll bet she is scared of losing her powers. I can fix that for her." Brandy added.

"A massage, especially one that releases her chi and makes her body crazy with desire would help things along nicely, I think," spoke up Tiennie.

"If she enjoys being tied up, I need to tell her how I was helpless, punished, and loved until I came to understand that the punishment was because I was loved, and that the love was stronger than any bonds." said Rati.

"Great! Rati, you go first - get her all heated up about being tied up and loved. Zulie, explain how to let her fear go and replace it with desire, then love. Chellie, you're third: you show her how being held and touched can relax her. Then, Tiennie can come in and massage her with those special fingers that leave me panting. Hana will follow her to shape her desire into service, because she wants to be controlled. You, Brandy, can explain how you didn't lose your powers, even when you freely gave your virginity. And, I will go last and explain how Johnny can give orders that make you come and can even put a baby inside you. After all of that, she should be ready to have sex with any convenient pole, and most especially with Johnny's convenient pole. Then, if Johnny walks in and 'discovers' her helpless and frees her, she should just about jump his bones the second she is released. What does everybody think?"

A chorus of "great!", "wonderful plan!" and "I'm ready, let's go," drowned out my objections. I was outvoted. The only reasons I allowed them to proceed were: first, I trusted them not to hurt anyone, including Bas; and second, we really needed this woman helping us in order to stay alive if Hana was right, and she almost always was.

The ladies agreed to help each other as much as possible during the next few hours. I suggested that they might stay in contact via their 'cell' phones - that would allow the ones not physically present to scan the captive and offer mental suggestions, which Bas could not hear.

After turning her phone on and checking that it was touching her bare skin and hiding beneath her shirt, Rati went into the room where Bas was tied. We heard her voice over the phone and felt her thoughts when she spoke to the Doctor. "Freya told me you like being tied up. I remember when you watched me, and taunted me, when I was in this same predicament. But I was naked and you still have clothes on, that doesn't seem fair, does it?"

Rati's dark hands began unsnapping and unzipping the pants of the woman tied in front of her. They slid part way down the bound legs, then stopped when they reached widespread knees and could fall no further. "Seems to me that I need to untie your legs to get these pants off. Well, I guess you could probably kick me if I untied even one leg. But you don't want to do that, because then Johnny would come in here and use the paddle on you." The panties were pulled down until they, too, spread and would not move further. "And he would see you hanging here, bare-assed. That wouldn't be very good, would it? Besides, the paddle hurts more on bare skin than when you are covered. So, you won't give me any trouble, will you?"

Barely able to move her head, the captive shook her head and we heard her think, "No."

One leg at a time, Rati loosed the tied-up woman, removed her pants and panties, then retied her. When Rati finished, the Doctor was naked from the waist down and we all could feel her fear and excitement building. Gentle fingers undid the few buttons at the top of her golf shirt and pulled it up, off of her body, until it stuck at the widespread arms, still at the top of the captive's head and covering her eyes. All of us felt, through Freya, the excitement build as the blindfold kept Bas from seeing what was happening. When Freya suggested putting on a permanent blinder, Rati agreed. She even teased the poor woman, "Oh, I see and you can't see. I could do anything to your body and you wouldn't know what was going to happen."

Rati walked over to the wall, where the paddle was leaning and picked it up silently. "I could invite people in to see you and you wouldn't know it." Back at the bound body, Rati used her spare hand to lift the sports bra until it cleared woman's breasts. Then she slid her hand down the helpless body, stroking and pinching the breasts, tickling the stomach, and pressing into the opened slit of the woman's vulva. "People could see you, naked and helpless, just like I was. Maybe you would like that."

Moving back, then behind the captive, Rati swung the paddle and connected soundly with the naked butt. "I could spank you and would never know when to expect it." She stroked the flat of the paddle over the uncovered breasts, stimulating the nipples. "I could swat your breasts. I'll bet that would hurt a lot." She slid the paddle down and forced its edge between the labia. "It would hurt even more if I hit you here, don't you think?"

The bound woman was shivering now. Freya let us all feel her fear and sexual excitement.