Chapter 28

The spread was impressive. Spanakopita, souvlaki, pita bread, tzatziki, moussaka, tiropites, horta vrasta, pastitsio, galaktoboureko, dolmathakia, and keftethes. Greek wines, ouzo and various juices rounded out the stupid good meal.

Yvette was stunned. "How long did this tour de'force take? Mon dieu! This is wonderful."

"You have to call it a katórthoma, not a 'tour de'force'. It's the Greek translation." Selena corrected with a smile, "When in Sparta, do as the Spartans do. Actually, we did have some of it frozen, but most is prepared more quickly than you might think."

"Altogether, it took about an hour. Lots of hands in the kitchen helped." Athena added, "Especially Allison. She runs a tight house and has a management degree to prove it."

"All I can say is, póso ypérocho. For you non-Demopolis speakers, that means 'How wonderful!' And that's the limit of my knowledge." Lauren said.

"That's way more than most. I speak souvlaki and baklava, only." Pete laughed. "Maybe some other words from places where Uncle Sam sent me, but I never had to pacify the Aegean."

"Somebody speaks 'pastitsio' quite fluently. This the best ever." Yvette declared.

"Mama Maria made Gordon Ramsay look like a cream puff sissy. Mama was not really mean, but you knew when it wasn't right. Her philosophy was, whatever you do, do it the best. Doctor, scientist, homemaker, racecar driver, it didn't matter, as long as we did it right. Otherwise, why waste your time?" Athena said.

"There was no wasted time today!" Lauren agreed. "Pass the spanakopita."

The diners stuffed themselves to the gills. Pete, pouring a round of ouzo, "Cheers to good friends."

"Santé!"

"Prost!"

"Zum Wohl"

"Salute"

"Ya mas!"

"Kampai!"

"Salud!"

"Skol!"

"Dubrovnik!"

"Amagansett!"

Pete had to cut the Pixies off. "OK, now you're making it up. It's not 'Amaganset', it's 'East Hampton'. Down the hatch!"

"Na zdrowia!"

"Coeur d'Alene!"

Fortunately, every variation did not involve a shot of ouzo. But enough did so no one was feeling any pain. Ouzo is sneaky. At first it's just licorice liqueur, then it's lights out.

The diners kept it together long enough to clear the table and clean the kitchen. But a viewing of 'Casablanca' was not in the cards. They never did get to dessert.

In the living room, the guests admired the way the chains draped between their nipples. Pete advised the ladies to loosen the clamps a full turn. "If the clamps are the slightest bit too tight, blood flow is restricted. It will hurt when it is restored. Your nipples will throb painfully and be super sensitive."

Yvette and Lauren got dressed and wished the hosts a good night before weaving out the door. Pete and the Pixies crashed in the rec room.

"Amy, would you monitor the ladies and let me know when they get home?"

"It might take a while, Boss. They are walking kind of careful."

"Tomorrow, they are going to be sore at both ends." Star ventured, "I never suspected they would be virgins."

"Virginity doesn't last long here. I lost mine months ago, but I still have the box it came in." Rani said, dodging a flurry of pillows. "It was their fault for talking about the nipple jewelry."

"They were ready to give it up when they got here. They did ask to borrow Sir after the demonstration of the new clamps. It was kind of hot watching the two very proper ladies pant for our man."

"As far as I'm concerned, I just proves how special we Pixies are." Penny said, "Yvette and Lauren got a small sample of what Mr. O'Neal can give us every day."

"Speaking of every day, you sweeties might want to hit the sack soon. We do have the proctored tests in the morning. I expect the school folks to arrive at 8:00 AM. You should be dressed 'classroom proper' to show a little respect for the process. Jewelry-wise, wear just the collars. If anyone wants to know what it is, just say it was a gift from me." Pete warned, "I plan to lobby for Phoebe to be included and need the administrators to be in a good mood."

"If they let Phoebe take the tests, our new sister/auntie will get a PhD or two. But Daddy how are we going to convince Child Services to let her stay here?" Spring asked.

"I plan to hire the lawyers Charity Malone used to give Penny and Jenny to me. They have all their investigative materials on file concerning my suitability to assume guardianship. Ari and Maria, Yvette and Lauren, and Diego, all upstanding community business leaders, will back the idea. Plus, we have the wholehearted endorsement of Phoebe's 'home state'." He detailed, "The Child Protective Services people already consider the Asylum for Lost and Crazy Pixies to be way better than a foster placement. If the Family Court judge grants guardianship, they have one less girl to keep up with. It might not be a 'rubberstamp' hearing, but I'm confident Phoebe will be allowed to stay."

"Do you think there is the tiniest chance they will try to move me somewhere else?"

"I think not, dear sister. We have powerful friends at NYPD and on Mott Street. Calls to Ari's contacts, Detective Hayes and to Franco might start a backdoor push in our favor." Pete grinned evilly, "I can always get bossy on them and no one wants to deal with the Grim Reaper in open court. 'My sister, my rules'."

"Just tell them how it's going to be and it will be as you say." Mary laughed, "Worked for me. Face it, Boss, if you can make teenaged girls want to run around naked despite their natural embarrassment, Family Court will be child's play."

"My Pixies, not only do we have the exams tomorrow, but Kris and Theo will break through the alleyway wall, the uniforms might come and the equipment for the new jobs should start arriving. The bus won't be here until Wednesday, but Amy and I have to prepare for the modifications." Pete said. "It will be a busy day, no matter what. And I want you all to think of an independent study topic. After you ace the final exams, in all likelihood, the principal will let you test into your senior year. Having thirteen girls on record scoring so well makes Theodore Roosevelt High look very good, makes the instructors look good and makes the administration look good. That fact will not escape her attention."

The girls soon went up to shower and get some sleep, but Allison and Pete went down to confer with Amy. "Amy, my clever friend, please prepare the paperwork for the court to review for Phoebe's guardianship case. We can fax them to Charity Malone's attorneys tonight with a retainer and instructions to file immediately."

He and Allie, as the guardians, sent emails to the school to confirm the arrangements for Monday and to request an extra set for placement of an ex-Mennonite home schooler. They suggested that there was no equivalence chart from one curriculum to another in this case.

Amy did her thing and assured Pete that the shield would be ready for installation when the bus came and the alleyway wall would be ready for the Demopolis brothers to cut through. "I'm looking forward to actually walking in the courtyard. I wonder if the grass is like the groundcover on Aurora. It would be cool, weird maybe, too, but cool if we had a piece of Aurora time-trapped here in the backyard."

"I can create an access door to the courtyard from the dungeon, like the one we planned for the driveway. With the shielding in place, security won't be compromised. But you are advised take extreme care. We don't have much of a knowledge base to predict if the time issues will be affected by intrusion into a possible temporal Aurora outcrop. Remember what caused the differential between the basement and the world outside the portal?"

"Crap! If it is a temporal outcrop, then it's not out of the question that the courtyard is running slower than the house. That would explain why it is not so overgrown. I really hope time isn't in play here. It will really mess with the garage door installation. I can't let the brothers get trapped in slow time by accident. The driveway has the same groundcover as the courtyard."

"This is something we need to know before tomorrow morning, Sir. Can we toss something from the roof and see what happens?"

"We should get the two timers from the first trip through the portal and lower one on a rope, wait a minute and pull it up. Now is a good time."

They collected the timers, synchronized the readouts, picked up two very bright flashlights, rope and went to the roof. Pete checked on the Pixies in passing, finding them sound asleep in the dorm. Even Phoebe was snoozing like a newborn, which she, in fact, was.

Opening the rear overlook, Pete quipped, "Hope the clock is rugged. It's a long way to fall." He tied the rope tightly and tossed for the center of the yard.

Allison counted down the time. "45 seconds. 50 seconds. 55. 60. Haul it in."

Pete pulled the rope and compared the readings. "No change. Excellent. Maybe the grass just grows really slow or only grows so high before it stops. Lets do the same test in the alley. But this time, I want to let it drop without the rope. We'll make a loop, get a hook from the dungeon and go fishing for it after a bit."

"You think the rope keeps it attached to our time line? Yet another variable rears its ugly head. We can always try to convince Theo and Kris to wear a safety strap when working. That might be a hard sell." Allison commented, catching on fast.

"Precisely, cutie. You make a loop and secure it to the timer. Toss it and watch while I run to the dungeon and get a hook. We could do it with magnets, but they might affect a digital clock."

Allison set to work with the rope, asking Pete to bring a knife to cut it away from the rest. "Can't toss until you get back."

"Oops. Be right back." The teenagers were dead to the world both times he passed by. He handed Allison a pair of scissors. "Lets do this thing."

She tossed and monitored the time while he tied the hook to the remainder of the rope. "Time!" Allison called.

Pete hooked the loop on the third attempt, hauling in the catch. She compared the readings. "Again, no change, Sir. The brothers are safe."

"So, there's no time differential, but we still don't know if the location is New York or Tau Ceti. It doesn't matter for our purposes tomorrow, but it might be important later. I'll get soil and flora samples and test them against a local control from Central Park."

They closed up the sun deck door, put the tools away and checked in with Amy. "What do you think?" Pete asked.

"Looks reasonably safe, so far. As soon as you can, get the samples. I will do the analysis here. Just leave them on the floor in front of the white box in the basement."

"White box?" Allison asked with a touch of surprise.

"The simulated orgasms were a bit more than 'simulated'. I really changed a lot. My housing isn't black anymore. It's a new look for a new me."

"I like the new you. Any progress on the independently mobile avatar?"

"I have the game engine and am almost finished on the fine tuning, motion wise. I have to create a freestanding shield field to model it. The controlling mathematics will be internal, but the projection will be as mobile as any of you." Amy answered him. "Human responses and tactile experience will filter through my organic interface."

"Impressive engineering. You will be a Near-Pixie!" Allison exclaimed. "What do you plan to look like?"

"I'm tending toward Pete's complexion, your eyes and Rani's hair. The body type is a given." Amy actually laughed. "Like there's a choice. Pete's house, Pete's rules."

"Got an apparent age in mind?" Pete asked.

"I like fifteen. I'll be a year older than Phoebe. Seems appropriate since I'm her 'crèche' mother. Rose is her biological mom, but I'm at least the surrogate." Amy preened, "How many AIs can make that claim?"

"So, 26 is too old? Ageist!"

"Allison, you have been physically regressed to a an age of 18. Your enhancement closed the gap between you and the others. So, Pete can refer to all thirteen, soon to be fourteen, of us as his very own teenagers."

"I take back the ageist label. Thank you, Amy for the gift."

"And I plan to give you the Garden Spider and Moonstone as your icons." Pete said and caused Amy to sniffle a little.

"Wow, Boss. You really are including me in the family. Thanks."

"Amy. There was never a doubt that you were in the family. But it will be nice to see and touch your avatar. I can't wait. Will you be able to travel with us?"

"As long as you have a personal shield generator, powerful laptop with a projector, yes. I can make the laptop/projector combo easily and stay connected just like I did when you traveled with Phoebe. The shield generator can be the base of the laptop. Altogether about the size of a flattish shoebox."

"Just keep to it. Amy. Keep an eye on our clients, too. Monday mornings are when hidden issues pop up. If weirdness happens, fix the simple stuff and give me a detailed list. Hold off on anything majorish. I'll deal with it when I get up."

"I keep them on monitor mode all the time. There were a few minor client-created problems today already, but I took care of them according to your programming and notified the respective IT departments. They expect to be billed because the problem originated with them, not O'Neal Consulting."

"Thanks, Sweetie. Soon we'll tackle the two big jobs. But we've done all the damage to reality we can today. Sack time. Allison, sleep in my bed tonight so we won't awaken the girls. They have a big day coming."

Once in bed, Allison insisted on having a big night with her Master. She started with a leisurely blowjob. "You're getting quite good at this, my pet. Don't dare spill a drop or I will have to spank you in front of your sisters, maybe even invite the French ladies over to watch you get your naked ass paddled."

She sucked extra vigorously to make him come in her mouth. At the moment of truth, he gripped her head, forcing his cock past her throat and pumped his juice directly down her gullet. Allison was mildly disappointed. She had planned to spill a tiny bit so he would spank her bare butt in front of an audience.

On the bright side, she had deep throated his huge dick. He flipped her to her back, pushed her legs to her ears and fucked her suddenly and roughly. Knowing that's how she liked it, Pete took all Allison had to give and then some.

The harder he pounded her the more she loved it. "Use your fucktoy, Master. Use me hard." She panted over and over. The act of surrender, the feel of his dick stretching her pussy to the limit and the inability to resist, even if the unlikely thought occurred, combined to have her coming constantly.

Pete came again, pumping her second receptacle full. He pushed her legs further back, withdrew from her clenching cunt and pressed into her ass. Allison couldn't resist the pressure and he plunged all the way in until his balls smacked against her dripping pussy lips.

That was enough to send her mind into obit again. A stray thought of what her mom would think, if she could see what her selfish machinations sixteen years ago brought about, made her come even harder. Maybe it was the audience thing, maybe the revenge aspect for being forced to pretend to her father she was a single mom before she lost her cherry; she didn't care which, but she wanted her mom to know her little daughter was being used like a willing fucktoy and loving every second of it.

Soon Pete released his third load in her ass, completing the trifecta. He let his prick soften and slip out of her still tight ass.

<Thank you Amy. Their asses and pussies are as tight as the first time. Don't ever let them stretch even a little bit.>

<No problem, Boss. I pick up some of the sensation and I quite agree. Tight and wet are good.>

He cuddled a draining Allison until sleep claimed the sweaty pair.

Pete woke before the 5:30 AM alarm and carried the drowsy Pixie to the shower. She didn't awaken totally before he was fucking her against the wall with hot water raining down her body. The first orgasm hit before she realized that it wasn't a dream and they kept coming and coming until Pete left a fourth deposit of his essence deep in her body.

She stayed impaled while he washed her hair, unplugging from her in order to scrub the rest of her girly parts. She returned the favor, ending the bath with a slow blowjob, managing to let a small but noticeable amount dribble out.

"Oops, Master. You will have to spank me now. I spilled some."

"Yes you did, my disobedient fucktoy. But I'll do it when I'm ready. Now, dry and dress for a busy day. We have lots to do." He, to her delight, gave her a rather sharp swat on her bubble butt, being sure to include the little bit of pussy exposed between her legs from the rear. She had a small orgasm at the stinging contact.

She went down a level to the kitchen and he went to roust the teenagers. Diddled clits and pinched nipples did the trick better than any other possible method. Soon, they were in the showers and getting dressed.

"Remember to look like the modest little schoolgirls you aren't. You have to be on your best behavior all day. Ask Amy to make some carrel walls, like the screens Alex has for Final Jeopardy, you can put on the conference room table. That will solve any space/privacy problems the proctors might have. Not to mention that it will demonstrate how seriously you take the testing procedure. Make sure the screens are taller than you when you stand or stretch." He was aware Amy would have the items in production before they asked, since she could hear him talk.

He cruised through the kitchen to get a plate of bacon, eggs and cheese grits on his way to the office. The first call was to Kris Demopolis. "We still on schedule for the garage door?"

"Hey, it's not even 6:30 yet. We're ready to go now, but we figured a man in your line of business would sleep in until at least seven."

"Computers never sleep, my doubting friend. Trouble lurks 24/7/365 in the real world. I have to be ready to rescue the capitalists of America from themselves." Pete laughed. "My life would be simpler if they took my advice like good clients. The hardest lesson to teach is that I honor my warranties immediately but I charge out the ass if they screw it up trying to avoid my maintenance charges. I am more reasonable than any company out there, but get unreasonable if I suspect funny business. So I am used to being up early. Mondays especially, because that's when the bad birds come home to roost."

"I know what you mean. We charge more if the customer helps. Even more if they change the plans in the middle of the job. It's in the contract. We'll fix it if the completed work isn't up to spec, but the specs are carved in marble. Good stone workers cost big bucks." Kris sympathized. "So we can start now?"

"Bring it on. All I want is a door as we discussed, that will be motorized and blend in with the façade wall when closed."

"Theo, a crew and I will be there in a half hour. Are the placement tests for the girls happening this morning? Should we be concerned about noise?"

"Yes and no. The tests start at 8:00 and the building is pretty soundproof. So you can knock yourselves out. I'll have Allison make lunch for you and the crew around noon. It won't be catered like the renovation, but Allie is a great cook. You will not be disappointed."

"We'll see you at 7:00. Later." Kris hung up and Pete called the school and left a voice message requesting the principal to call soonest. "No problems, ma'am, but I have a new resident. Please check your email for the particulars, but it might create the first data point for a new equivalency chart for the school system. I think it would be cool if a new placement tool originated at Theodore Roosevelt High where my girls go to school."

He planted the little vanity seed in fertile ground. The Board Of Education was a fiercely competitive organization and a boost in status would help the careers of the local school administrators. If nothing else, it would get them noticed among the thousands of teachers and staff in the system.

Helping them get rid of the child porn perverts did not hurt his cause at all.

Prodding the attorneys would have to wait for proper business hours, but he suspected they would be in court as soon as it opened. He had given them a slam dunk case and paid the retainer up front. He called Ari and brought him in. Then did the same with Franco. The deli man was already due for a break "I have to tell you, Pete, that was some party you guys threw. Simone and I haven't had so much fun in ages. Reminds me why I like our piece of New York. So, what gets you on the phone so early?"

Pete brought him up to speed on the new girl. "I may need a few character references to help speed the guardianship application along. Phoebe, that's her name, was another lost girl who needed rescuing. You know I can't say 'no' to a girl at the end of her rope. Can you say a few good words for me?"

"Friend, I may be able to do more than that. Leave it to me. Remember the powerful acquaintances who like it when you are happy? You did them a world of good. A word here and there will grease a lot of wheels. They liked what you did for the Giacomo girl, too. And my cousin at the precinct can wield pretty heavy hammer. The publicity they got was very valuable, promotion-wise. Our unselfish neighborhood Seal is their poster boy for good guys. They will give you references out the wazoo. A precinct captain carries a lot of authority."

"Any little bit helps. I want to get Phoebe settled in and registered in school as soon as possible. The poor girl has had her life turned upside down. I need to give her a safe haven so she can get her feet on the ground. No one else would do it."

"And that's just what you do. How did she find your house?"

"Seems there is an underground network among the lost girls out in the real world where they share rumors. I guess information leaked by the girls we freed from the slavers or the caseworkers dealing with Lisa's mom or someone talking to a friend about the street battle, someone created enough substance to confirm the rumors, leading the smart ones to put the clues together and find us. Who knows? Phoebe just said she heard of a guy who took in strays. Yvette and Lauren found her on my doorstep yesterday."

"And you gave her a hug, welcomed her home, put clothes on her back and gave her a warm place to sleep. You know, once you feed a stray kitten, they never leave, don't you. Just tell the judge you already fed her. You have to keep her now." Franco grinned. "The court will understand."

"You are enjoying this way too much. Have you any idea how much thirteen teenagers and a housekeeper costs? I'm going to put them to work or charge more."

"Better you than me."

"That's something I've heard before." Pete had a thought. "Franco, can you deliver a three deluxe cold cut platters? I have a construction crew, a bunch of school people and a heap of bottomless teens to feed. 11:30 would be a nice time."

"No problem. Pete. See you then. Now let me open the deli. Be careful you don't trip over more lost teenagers."

"Thanks. You are becoming the comedian Sol and Izzy want to be. Don't give up the day job." Pete hung up before Franco could answer. He called the pastry shop. "Good morning my dear. Are you in shape to send me some good bread for the Pixies, a construction crew and the school folks? Or should I let you have the day to recover from all that ouzo?"

"It is not the ouzo we are concerned with this morning, my dangerous Pete. But we'll recover soon enough. What do you need?"

"Aside from your company, something appropriate for three deluxe cold cut platters from Franco's deli." Pete laughed. "You ladies were magnificent, you know that don't you. We were honored to share your pleasure."

"We decided that you are the one man that might be addictive, my Pete. We will consider your dinner invitations quite carefully in the future." Yvette admitted. "But now we have baking to do, perhaps a bit more than anticipated."

"You are always welcome, Yvette." Pete said sincerely. "There is never any other expectation. I will see you or the delicious Lauren around 11:30 maybe." He was more than sincere; his plate was already full. As much as he enjoyed the experience, Pete really wanted to keep his attentions directed toward the Pixies. There was no need to make a complicated life more complex.

"I'll check with Franco and make something special for my special friends."

Pete scooted upstairs to see the Pixies around the table, refueling for the day. "You dears ready to blow the doors off?"

"I can speak for the group when I say serious academic ass will be kicked this morning, Daddy. Star and I are as ready as girls get. The other Pixies are as ready as we are."

"Allison, I've ordered cold cut platters, pastries and assorted breads for lunch. Later, you might want to call Franco and Yvette to see what else we can supply to round it out. 11:00 would be a good time. They will have the delivery finalized by then."

"Thanks, Sir. You make the chores too easy."

"Not so, dear. You'll probably be press ganged into helping somewhere else." Pete said. "I want you to monitor progress on the guardianship case with the attorneys and the clerk of court. Also, get the contact information from May and Star so you can check the delivery time for the company uniforms. Our doors are getting very busy and a little scheduling won't hurt a bit."

He added, "I'll make the first contact with the lawyers at 9:00 and you can follow up from there. Get the clerk and judge's names so I can tell Franco and Ari. They can make 'inquiries' to grease the wheels in the background. Honestly, I think it will go our way without me having to go all Grim Reaper on anybody. But they know I can."

Phoebe giggled. "It's nice to know we have our own scary monster. If they ask me, I can say I will not go back to where I was before. Not that it is even possible, but I can pass a lie detector test."

"Yesterday, you were an idea. That's a gimmee. They can't send you back." Jenny noted unnecessarily.

The door buzzer sounded. "That would be your brothers," he said to Athena and Selena. "Go give them some grief just for the hell of it. Remember to wear your Glocks. It still is a dangerous world out there."

They answered the door in little white blouses, tartan skirts, knee socks and saddle oxfords, with shoulder holsters under their green vests. The Demopolis brothers saw a vision of the little Catholic schoolgirls from hell. The sisters made no attempt to hide the weapons.

"Expecting trouble, sister?" Theo asked Athena.

Selena quipped, "Mr. O'Neal told us to make sure you didn't waste any time. You still standing there? You're burning daylight!" She couldn't keep a straight face and almost fell over laughing.

"Pay no attention to her. Mr. O'Neal said that there might be bad guys around and to be ready for anything. Packing heat seemed like a good idea."

Kris said, "Got my attention. When do the exams start?"

"In about an hour if we can manage to control Calamity Jane here."

"Even without the threat of grievous bodily harm, we want to get this done as quickly as possible. We'll buzz Pete when we breech the wall." Theo and Kris unloaded the truck and organized the crew. Within minutes the masonry saws were busy.

They went inside and reported the conversation to the Pixies.

"Ya'll are scary." Lisa said, "Remind me not to draw down on you."

"Well, stash the gats. The exams start soon. Get the conference room ready and put your school materials on the counter in nice little stacks. The officials will be impressed with your attitude." Pete ordered. "And where did the saddle oxfords come from?"

"Kim and I have them in our cosplay manga collection. We ordered them for everybody."

"Well, they look hot with the school girl outfits. Keep up the good work!" Pete grinned. "But for now, let's get this show on the road."

They did get moving. The screens were ready and put in place. The supplies were made available. The Pixies were dressed like the Demopolis sisters when the testers arrived promptly at 8:00 AM.

The Principal apologized for not returning the voice mail, but said she spent the time clearing the paperwork to admit Phoebe and arrange the placement tests based on what little they could coax out of Nebraska. "I don't mean to suggest they were less than cooperative. They just had a bare minimum of information with which we could work." Mrs. Pulaski told him. "Phoebe really is a special case, Mr. O'Neal. Orphaned, lost by a community scattered to the wind, probably educated quite well, but at home by a Mennonite system we cannot track We really owe it to her to help get a clean start here in New York."

The first proctor introduced himself as David Goldman, the Supervisor of Student Affairs from the main office. "We will start her tests at an age appropriate freshman level. The plan is to keep advancing until she fails a test. I will administer her tests so there will be no question about the results."