Chapter 17: Initiations

'God, I hate Mondays!' thought Gregg as he sat alone in his campus office. It wasn't the type of thought he used to have, but with school starting in one week, and only two weeks before he had to have something presentable to send to Tunisia in his quest to save his dig, this Monday weighed heavily on his psyche. He usually arrived at his office around 8am, and Laura was usually there waiting for him each morning "volunteering" as his assistant. But since nothing productive work-wise was done over the weekend, he wasn't able to sleep past 5am. Rather than squandering his waking hours, and not wanting to wake the sleeping beauty beside him, he decided to noiselessly escape to his fortress of solitude.

The cross-eye-inducing boredom of writing up lesson plans and finalizing his course syllabi was broken not by the expected arrival of Laura, but by an unexpected vision. At 7:30, the timid knock typical of Laura pulled his attention from his computer — but it was not the leggy blonde who was standing in his doorway. Gregg had to blink several times to make sure he wasn't experiencing cathode-ray-tube-exposure hallucinations.

"Good morning Gregg. I brought you some files to review ... if you've got time."

She was holding out a thumb drive, but Gregg had to make a conscious effort to direct his gaze at the offered bit of technology. She looked like Charli ... sort of ... really more like a Hollywood facsimile of her. She had Charli's long jet-black hair, but it shone with silky softness, perfectly styled to cover one smoky eye. Her lips were full, and glistened with a sheen of gloss. The baggy black jeans and over-sized metal t-shirt were replaced with tight black jeans, and an even tighter black t-shirt (emblazoned with a red anarchy symbol) that had part of the collar cut away to give it a deeper neckline that emphasized her more-than-adequate assets. The only things that seemed authentic were the well-worn black army boots laced high up her shin.

Gregg finally managed to give a low whistle, and Charli's concerned expression turned to an ear-to-ear grin. "Wow! Who are you, and what have you done with Charli?!"

"You like?" Charli gave a little spin.

Her new jeans clung to every delicious curve, and Gregg couldn't believe that she ever considered herself fat. She'd spent so much of her life hiding behind baggy clothes, fringe music tastes, and her trademark curtain of hair, that she never realized that underneath all that she had grown into a beautiful woman. Granted she wasn't thin like Emily or Laura, but she had soft curves in all the right places.

"Let me say it again: Wow! If I stood right now, I'd probably embarrass myself." It was a bit crude of a comment, but seeing Charli looking as good as she did was causing blood to leave his reasoning centers and collect ... well, elsewhere. If Charli was offended, she gave no indication, and actually blushed at the comment. Sometimes a crude comment is actually the perfect compliment!

Charli took a seat in the corner and some of the illusion she'd blinded him with wavered as she was obviously uncomfortable sitting for any length of time in her tight pants. She was used to more freedom in her clothing ... the price for looking as good as she currently did. Still, she remained good natured about her overnight transformation. If nothing else, Charli was exuding a remarkable amount of confidence, especially considering that "mousy" was how he thought of her when they first met all those weeks ago. Gregg was especially proud of himself for not cheating and digging into Heather's memories to see what had happened in his absence. If he'd done that, he wouldn't have had the pleasure of being so pleasantly surprised.

Charli only stayed for about 15 minutes, wanting to "test drive" her new clothes for him before unleashing her newfound charms on an unsuspecting Chad. He was away at a lacrosse game down-state all weekend, so they hadn't seen each other since Friday night.

As Charli was exiting his office, she nearly collided with Laura who looked somewhat distraught that Gregg had arrived first. Barely giving the raven-haired girl a second glance, she took her seat and began unpacking some of the files she'd taken home to work on over the weekend. It was a bit of extra work she hoped made her Master proud ... extra work beyond the entertainment she was more than happy to provide on Friday night.

Charli gave Laura a discomfited glance, but if the blonde was ignoring her, then she'd ignore the blonde. "Alright Gregg. See you back at HQ around lunch. Don't forget to look at the thumb drive. Just send me an email if I'm on the right track for what you imagined."

"No problem. I'll see you later. Oh, and Charli, tell Chad I forgive him."

"You forgive him? Why?"

"Because when he sees you looking the way you do now, he's not going to be able to get any work done." Charli giggled and then stood a little straighter. "Seriously, Charli, you look absolutely beautiful. Chad's a lucky guy."

Charli blushed, and waved goodbye, picking up her backpack and heading out.

When Laura heard the name "Charli" it caused her to stop unpacking and look up, staring at the girl she so easily dismissed. When Charli was half-way down the hall, Laura looked at Gregg in disbelief. "Was that really... ?"

"Yes, it most certainly was," he replied, more than a little proud.

"I ... I need ... Excuse me for a minute..."

Laura sprang up from her chair, unceremoniously dumping her pile of papers on the table to run out the door. A few minutes later she returned, her expression a mixture of pride and a what-have-I-just-gotten-myself-into fear. Gregg had no compunctions about probing her mind, and had to refrain from smiling at what he saw.

"You're off to a poor start this morning, Slave."

Laura looked down at the messy pile of papers carelessly strewn across her table and started putting the papers back into neat piles. 'So much for any extra points earned... ' Still, he called her 'Slave, ' and that always led to something interesting.

"No doubt you saw just how sexy my last visitor is. She's left me distracted and unable to focus on the work I need to get done." Gregg rolled his desk chair backward. "Get under the desk and see if you can ... unclog my thought process." It was a terrible metaphor, but he was horny seeing Charli looking as good as she did.

Laura moved toward the door to kick out the doorstop, but jumped when Gregg slammed his hand on the table. "Did I tell you to close the door?" he asked forcefully.

"No Master." Laura quickly ran behind the desk, giving one last worried look at the wide-open door before kneeling on the floor and crawling under the desk. In a flash, Gregg's fly was unzipped and his hard cock was fished out.

It was awkward being curled up in the small space under his desk, bounded on all sides by the heavy steel construction. She had to keep his cock pulled forward so she had enough clearance to move her head up and down (really more back and forth). Gregg fueled her anxiety by pretending to have a conversation with a passing-by professor, vocalizing his lines and projecting into her mind his fictional counterpart's responses. When she stopped sucking, afraid they'd be found out, Gregg simply snapped his fingers and pointed at his rampant cock. The fear of being caught plus her total domination fueled her lust beyond boiling and she recommenced her blowjob with renewed vigor.

Even in the unlikely event that someone actually did walk by his isolated office in the corner of the building, they'd only see a very contented looking instructor sitting distractedly at his desk, occasionally sighing or staring intently between his feet. If they paid closer attention, they might hear Laura's wet sucking sounds or wonder why a pair of small tennis shoes were sticking out from under the desk's front with soles facing up.

Laura moaned around his thick cock. It gave her such a thrill to be used by her Master. Her pussy throbbed, knowing that Master was enjoying her efforts and that she'd be rewarded with a tasty load of jism. Her hand strayed toward between her legs, desperately wanting to touch herself, but refusing unless given permission. Her thighs flexed and strained, trying to give whatever stimulation she could without disobeying Master's orders.

"Don't think too highly of your talents Slave. It was Charli who got me excited, and it is her beautiful image that fills my mind. You're just there because I don't feel like using a Kleenex to clean up my mess." Gregg's insult, while partially true in that he was thinking of Charli, only served to ramp up Laura's excitement. She groaned in pleasure, desperate to touch herself, painfully aware that Master probably wouldn't let her ... which only fueled her excitement more. She didn't know of course that he was sending waves of pleasure from her clit with every low verbal blow. For the most part, Laura naturally reacted to being humiliated ... at least since that first afternoon with her and Natalie in his office. Still, she was getting over confident, and needed to be reminded of exactly where she stood among the people he cared about.

For Laura, it was made that much more exciting by again being in the place where she suffered her greatest humiliation by Gregg. He'd made her suck his dick under that very desk while he ate out her pledge sister, Natalie. She'd been reduced to nothing that day, and with her defeat, came her rebirth as Gregg's slave. That day he treated her like the dirt she was, punishing her for thinking herself better than his friend Charli. It was the harshest lesson, yet the reward was immeasurable.

Laura's sucking efforts were beginning to take their toll. Even though his mind was filled with visions of Charli's sexy doppelganger, Laura's oral talents were a work of art in their own right. Unable to thrust given their positions, Gregg held firmly to either side of Laura's head, physically moving her head up and down his shaft. He used her head like a living fuck-toy, and she did everything in her power to speed his pending release.

"Ahh, shit! I'm cumming. Swallow it Slave. Swallow it!" Gregg pulled her head rather forcefully forward, shoving his cock as deep as it had ever gone inside her mouth. It was all she could do just to swallow his massive load, but like a good slave, she was determined not to disappoint her master.

Gregg slumped in his chair, panting heavily through his nose. He enjoyed watching Laura continue to gently lick and suck at his cock. "Very good Slave." Laura mewled happily around his wilting member, her own pleasure secondary to the happiness she caused in Master. She continued to nurse at it until he told her to stop. "I'm going to have to punish you now for assuming to close my office door without my permission." Laura did her best to look crestfallen, but the idea of getting paddled by her Master brought a smile to her lips.

Gregg stood up and walked around his desk, apparently uncaring that his cock was sticking out at half-mast from his pants. He kicked out the doorstop and the heavy oak slab slammed shut with an audible bang. Picking up Laura's pledge paddle from the corner, he stroked the wood almost fondly. "Let's see if you can file and count swats at the same time. Every time you get a file out of order, you get to start counting all over again."

Laura just looked up at her Master, her asscheeks already tingling in anticipation of the morning's lesson.

"Gregg, I'm sorry. I'm a little behind on the scanning I promised you."

Gregg gave a knowing wink to Charli. It turned out that Chad wasn't the only one affected by Charli's transformation. Jim, who was lending his computer assistance at HQ that morning, was also left speechless. He gave a silent thanks that Emily was off at Loyola and that there were only two striking beauties (Charli and Heather) keeping his mind off his work ... that is until Rivkah stopped by in her gym attire. Say what you will, but the super-fit Mossad agent turned physical trainer sure knew how to fill out a pair of spandex tights and sports bra. For all her feminine charms, Jim silently mused that he could grate cheese on her perfectly cut abs. 'Maybe that's why E'dan likes cooking so much... ?'

After forcing everyone to take a break for lunch (which Gregg brought over), Charli related the story of what happened shortly after leaving his office that morning. Gregg had to pretend to be surprised, since he already learned everything from Laura.

"So I'm leaving Gregg's office this morning and who should stop me in the hall, but that skank bitch, Laura ... the Omega Xi snob." She embarrassedly looked at Jim, her onetime boss, but he let it pass. He may not have known Laura personally, but he knew the Omega Xi's by reputation, and he was sure any encounter Charli may have had with one was probably not pleasant.

"Well, after staring at me for like a minute like I'd just thrown her in a round room and told her to stand in the corner, she asks me to coffee."

"You said 'no' I hope," Chad said not bothering to hide his concerned expression.

"Well, I was about to. I asked her if you'd put her up to it," she looked at Gregg who held up his hands innocently. "But she insisted that you knew nothing about it. Well, I told her 'no' and walked away." Chad looked decidedly relieved.

"But then she grabs my arm and spins me around. I thought for sure she was going to slap me or something, but instead she takes a few deep breaths, squeezes my arm tighter, and says, 'please.' I really think she was serious. Jesus, she looked so sad and pathetic ... so I said 'okay.'"

Chad hung his head. "Shit. Charli, I know it's your decision to make, but you can't trust those girls. Anything they do, they do for their own gain."

"Yeah, I know. But I think coffee will be okay." Charli didn't feel this was the proper venue to tell Chad about how just a little more than a week ago Laura had begged her for her forgiveness for insulting her in the hallway. Sure, it had been at Gregg's insistence, but Laura demonstrated her sincerity by kissing the geekiest guy Charli could find ... and giving him a blowjob later. If reputation was everything to an Omega Xi, then the price she paid couldn't have surpassed value of hearing Charli say she was forgiven. "Besides, I told her I'd treat her to coffee at the Athenian."

That brought about a round of laughter from the table. The Athenian had excellent gyros, but their coffee barely passed as industrial sludge. It wasn't the type of place that an OX would be seen in. Heather congratulated her for managing to take both the high and low roads simultaneously. Chad, on the other hand, just shook his had and said, "Okay, point to you ... just be careful. Okay?"

Gregg looked for some hint of a joke in his expression but found none. He didn't quite know what to make of it, but there was a story behind his concern that he wasn't sharing.

Charli tried talking to him about it later that afternoon, but Chad remained tightlipped. Gregg extended the same courtesy to Chad that he did to Heather. Rather than invading his thoughts, if and when Chad wanted to talk about it, he'd learn what happened.

Work on the business proposal continued hurriedly, yet smoothly as the week went on. Emily slept in her dorm at the Loyola campus Sunday through Thursday because she needed to study without distraction. Apparently there wasn't much of a grace period for nursing students and even through the semester had only just started, she was already feeling overwhelmed. Nothing in her experiences in Tunisia could have prepared her for the horror that is organic chemistry. Everyone missed her infectious energy, but they made sure she knew they understood. Besides, she promised she'd be back on Thursday, since she had no Friday classes. Given her current workload, however, there wasn't much hope that her three day weekends would provide much escape from her text books.

On Wednesday, Rivkah invited Gregg, Heather, Chad, and Charli up for dinner, and over dessert, Charli related how coffee with the infamous Laura went.

"I swear, sometimes you'd think we spoke different languages. She asked me about my major and she looked at me like I was speaking Chinese. But, to be fair, when she talked about fashion, my eyes kind of glazed over. I've got to give her credit, though ... she actually choked down the entire mug of coffee. It was like she had to prove to me she could take it." Chad made a mumbled joke about her probably swallowing nastier stuff, but his tone said he wasn't trying to be funny. There was something about Laura ... or maybe all Omega Xis that set his teeth on edge.

By the end of their half-hour meeting, which Charli described as hovering between surreal and uncomfortable, Charli had to admit that actually looked forward to seeing the blonde again. "I mean we're not exactly best-friends-forever, but heck ... It's not like I have a ton of friends anyway ... Besides, how often do I get to talk with visitors from another planet."

Chad looked uneasy. He was happy that Charli didn't come home crying, but the idea that maybe there was a budding friendship between the two was even more disturbing. 'Still, ' he reminded himself, 'Charli's got a good head on her shoulders. Maybe she and Gregg see something in her that I don't.' "Well, I'm happy for you Charli. Just-"

"-I know ... Be careful." Instead of being mad, Charli was touched by the amount of concern Chad was showing. Leaning over, she gave him a kiss that left no doubt about how thankful she was. Chad didn't know where she learned to kiss so well since the weekend, but was more than happy to reap the benefits. Their prolonged kiss was finally broken up by Heather playfully throwing her napkin between their lip-locked faces.

All in all, the mood of that night carried over through to the weekend. Hard working days were followed by relaxed nights. Progress was steady, but real. Emily stayed with them over the weekend, mostly buried in her books. Chad and Charli were seemingly inseparable.

As an impromptu movie-night finished at the HQ on Friday, Gregg sat in his overstuffed chair with Heather in his lap, surveying the people with which he surrounded himself. Emily, Chad, Heather, Charli, E'dan, Rivkah ... he felt more like part of an extended family than a king on his throne.

Maybe all the visions of power corrupted and his violent death were just dreams — fictions cooked up by his mind in an effort to understand what happened to him...

'If that's what you want to think, ' an amused sounding voice whispered in the back of his head.

"Fucking first day of school. What the fuck were you thinking signing up for a nine-fucking-a.m. course?" Brittany was directing her comments toward the fingernails on her perfectly manicured hand which she was intently filing. But Laura, sitting beside her in the back row of the lecture hall, understood that Brittany's rant was directed at her. She tried her best to ignore her, but Brittany continued. "I mean really, you could have told me this was a morning class before you signed me up. Not only that but-" she glanced down at Laura's desk where she spied the open notebook with the first page half-filled with Laura's writing. "-what the fuck are you doing?"

"I'm taking notes." Brittany's look of incomprehension clearly articulated her opinion on the value of such actions.

"That's why you signed up your pledge for this class. Really Laura, what the fuck is wrong with you." It was rhetorical, as were most of Brittany's questions — she really cared more for making a rounded edge on her nails than she did about Laura's mental condition. "If I thought it would hold water, I'd bring you before the disciplinary council for making me wake up so early." It sounded like a joke, but Laura knew that if there was a shred of hope that it'd stick, she'd do just that ... hopefully she wasn't annoyed enough to cash in a few favors.

The girl sitting in front of Brittany turned to glare angrily, hoping that would be enough to get her to stop talking. Instead, Brittany simply leaned forward and said angrily, "What the fuck are you looking at, you ugly fuck? Turn the fuck around." To add insult to injury, she started swinging her leg so her foot banged repeatedly against the back of the girl's seat.

"That girl who waved hello to you — the nerdy looking one with the black hair ... I think she's the key."

Laura gulped nervously. "The key? What do you mean?"

Brittany tapped her tongue against her teeth, something she did when thinking through a problem. Her silver tongue-stud clicked against the back of her teeth in a slow cadence as she thought through the scenario unfolding in her brain. "Well, look at her. She's practically drooling over the teacher and his assistant. And they're obviously working together or something — I saw them trading papers ... and no one is so ahead of the game that they turn in homework on the first day of class. Look how she's taking notes. Talk about being a study hound. Trust me — you make friends with her and she'll be the key to us getting A's ... without having to resort to the usual means." Brittany watched the professor for a minute. He'd removed that stupid tweed jacket and his tight turtleneck shirt showed the fit physique underneath. She didn't need the collective sigh of all the other girls in the class to know a quality specimen of man-meat when she saw one. "Still, if I HAD to fuck a teacher this semester ... he might actually be worth it ... what did you say his name was?"

"Mas- I mean Gregg ... I mean Dr. Walters ... Dr. Gregg Walters." Brittany gave her another withering look, but chose not to pursue the matter.

"Well, she already seems to know you ... And I hope you have a good explanation why someone like THAT is acting like we're her friends. So, after class, you'll introduce us."

Laura winced. If there was one person other than her Master she didn't want to upset, it was Charli. Besides having the potential of being her first non-superficial friend, she was also someone that her Master cared about, and would be VERY angry if she got upset. It was with some surprise that she was even looking forward to their next coffee ... but definitely someplace with better coffee! Laura looked over at Natalie who was also taking notes. The smirk on her face made it clear to Laura that before too long, she'd have to be reminded just exactly where her place was in the pecking order.

"Well Gregg, I'd say your first class was a success ... no one died at least. Although when you took off your coat, you may have caused a heart attack or two."

Gregg smiled at Chad who was truly enjoying ribbing his friend and mentor. "Yeah, that was Heather's idea. 'Why should I wear a tweed jacket when it's so hot out?' I asked, but she insisted. Now I see why ... she doesn't miss a trick, does she?"

"Nope, not a one. She's-" Chad stopped mid-thought as his attention was pulled to the classroom's entrance. Gregg turned to see what had halted his friend. Outside, Laura, Natalie, and a third very lovely student were chatting with Charli. Laura looked decidedly uncomfortable, but the third student and Natalie were all smiles ... and so was Charli.

"They're bad news boss. All of them. The short one, that's Brittany Anderson, the Omega Xi President. Not someone you'll want to cross ... and Laura ... well, she's just as bad ... maybe worse. I'm telling you, you can't trust them."

Gregg knew that Chad didn't understand the hold he had over Laura, so he just did his best to soothe his friend's worries. "Look, I don't know what history you have with her, but Laura ... well, she's changed. I don't think I can really explain it much better than that, but I'm asking you to trust me on that." Chad looked at him dubiously. "As for Brittany, well ... I don't think Laura will let anything happen to her. She knows that Charli's my friend, and believe me, the last thing she would do is hurt a friend of mine. Besides, I'm sure it's harmless, Chad. Sure they're stuck up, but Charli's can take care of herself. And hey, why shouldn't Charli hang out with the beautiful crowd. Maybe they'll help her realize just how beautiful she is."

"Yeah, I guess. But ... well ... never mind. I'll see you back at HQ tonight. I think you're all set for your eleven o'clock class." Gregg didn't get to say goodbye before Chad turned and left the hall through the back entrance.

Charli stuck her head back in to look for Chad, but frowned when she saw he was gone. Gregg answered her questioning look with a little white lie. No sense getting her worried. "I sent him on an errand. He'll catch up with you later."

"Oh ... okay. So, were you surprised to see me? I debated if I should sign up for your class ... being that we work together and all, and..." 'and that I still have a huge crush on you' she thought to herself guiltily. She was head over heels for Chad, but a first crush is a first crush is a first crush.

"Yeah ... you weren't the only surprise. But definitely the most pleasant." Gregg never checked the rolls, so when Laura and Natalie also walked in, he was a bit taken aback. "I hope I didn't put you all to sleep."

"Not a chance Gregg," she said almost breathlessly. Realizing she was practically mooning over him, she instinctively gave her head a shake causing her hair to spill forward and crossed her arms. Classic defensive posture. Unfortunately, given her new look, the hair covering her face was sexy and her crossed arms had the effect of lifting her breasts, exposing more of her creamy white flesh through her shirt's open top buttons.

Seeing where Gregg's gaze had wandered, she blushed and bid him farewell, embarrassed, and yet empowered. Guys NEVER looked at her like that, but so far, Gregg wasn't the only one ... nor would he be the last.

It was Friday night. The first week of school had come and gone in a hormone-induced frenzy. On his second day teaching, all the empty seats in the lecture hall had filled ... with female students. There was even a waiting list now. The department chair took the time to swing by his office to congratulate him on such a successful start to the semester.

Thankfully, between Laura and Heather, the libidinous energy he was forced to endure each day found an outlet. In fact, Gregg was so grateful for Laura's near-constant presence in his office that he even returned her pledge paddle so she'd have it for tonight's ceremony. She didn't go into detail about it, but from what he glanced in her mind, Natalie had no idea what she was in for.

"So, where are we going tonight?" he shouted at Heather's closed bedroom door.

"The Black Box. It was Charli's idea. We finished our project draft and we need to blow off steam. Besides, it'll be fun to expose you to a different culture. Think of it as an initiation into Charli's world!" Gregg knew nothing about the punk/metal scene, but the Black Box was where Charli practically grew up. Without consulting him, everyone else reached consensus that a night there would be fun. He'd caught Charli chatting privately with Heather on multiple occasions, but whenever he asked what was going on, she'd just smile and pat his cheek affectionately.

"You sure I'm dressed okay?" Gregg looked down at his old torn jeans, work boots, and grey denim button-down.

The door to Heather's bedroom opened and she replied, "Don't worry, hon. They won't be looking at you." Truer words were never spoken. Heather was wearing a gold strapless dress that could have been painted on. It was so tight it pressed her already large breasts against her chest and they were practically spilling out over the top. When the light hit her from just the right angle, he could even make out the indentation of her belly button. Her matching high heels put her eyes at nose-level with Gregg. Her lips were painted a thick red, and it was all Gregg could do not to imagine those very red, very full lips wrapped warmly around his already growing cock. Every inch of her screamed 'sex'. "Your only job is to keep me from getting bored..."

Before Gregg could say anything or even wipe the drool threatening to spill from his open mouth, the apartment door opened. Some guy with a very torn and denim jacket held together with large safety pins and red spiked hair was standing in the door way. It took a moment for Gregg to realize the thug was Chad. Charli was right behind him, looking darkly delicious in all black, black lipstick and eye shadow, and what looked like a spiked dog collar around her neck. Behind them, a very bubbly Emily had her hair free from its usual ponytail and was sporting orange highlights in her hair. She was even wearing various spiked parifinalia around her neck and wrists she'd borrowed from Charli. "This is so cool! I've always wanted to go to a punk bar! Do you think there'll be a fight? Can I jump in the mosh pit?" Really, the punk outfit didn't match her cheerleader-like personality.

Charli grinned. "Maybe you should just watch for a while. You're too pretty and you'll get chewed up and spit out. It's cliché, but stay near Gregg or Chad."

They all piled into Chad's car, a tight fit, but one no one seemed to mind. They parked and as they walked to the club, they got more than one leering glance. To Gregg's confusion, Charli led them past the front door and around to the alley. She banged on the signless metal door and a heavily pierced and tattooed guy looked out, shook his head and slammed it shut.