The Adjusters I: Whatever Happened to Marjorie Duquesne?
Chapter 5: The First Card
“The other musketeers are still coming over tonight?” asked Jenn, as Daniel cleared the table after dinner.
“Yup.” He started the water for the dishes. “I should double check we have snacks.”
“We do.” Jenn settled down and finished her glass of wine watching him work. “So what’s happening with Serena? I’ve been so busy these past two weeks that I haven’t seen her.”
“I don’t really know, actually. I haven’t seen her much either. Still investigating still frustrated, I suppose. She’s been pretty scarce. Even Radhu’s starting to mope. We’ll get to ask her tonight.”
“Glad she could find the time to come and join us.”
“She does enjoy her Kittens’ Den.”
Jenn smiled and said nothing. She watched Daniel quietly as he washed the dishes. There was no set schedule for domestic duties, and they had never really needed one. They somehow managed to find a natural rhythm. Jenn viewed it as further proof they were perfect for each other; Daniel did not disagree.
Daniel was sorely tempted to tell Jenn that he had been talking to various people, investigating options in Austin, but Jenn had made clear throughout the week, whenever he had attempted to broach the topic, that she did not want to talk about it until their date in December.
Before he could contemplate the prospect further, however, his cell phone buzzed. “Can you get that? My hands are wet.”
“It’s Serena,” Jenn said after picking up the phone. “Hey sweetie, Jenn here. Yes, he’s here. Doing his domestic duties. Got him well trained. Sure, hold on.”
She put the phone to Daniel’s ear. “Hi Serena, what’s up?”
“I need a favor.” Serena sounded like she was outside.
“Shoot.”
“I’m up on West Campus, and I’m set up to talk to this guy who says he knows something about Marjorie, and... Well, I could use some company, someone that won’t spook him.”
“Huh... sure, okay. West Campus. I guess I can be there in fifteen, twenty minutes? Are we still doing Kittens’ Den afterwards?”
“Of course, wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Jenn looked at Daniel with a question on her face, and he brought her up to speed after disconnecting.
“We shouldn’t be too long. If Radhu shows up, just distract him. I’ll call you when we’re on our way back.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I know how to handle Serena.”
Jenn hit him on the shoulder. “Go before I beat you.”
The bus ride to West Campus was quick, and Daniel stepped off at the main stop on the road that sneaked through the student dormitories making up that section of Darnell. Serena was waiting, under a lamplight. She hugged him. He thought she looked tired.
“Thanks for coming,” she said.
“No problem. Though I don’t understand why I’m here, really.”
She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “I’ll tell you later. We should get going.”
“Where are we off to?” Serena was taking them to one of the residence halls, a tall red brick building with conspicuous ivy covering most of the facade. One of the smaller halls, Daniel knew, and one that housed mainly graduate students.
“We’re meeting with a student, Jeremy Blatawski. He was Marjorie’s last known boyfriend.”
“Was?”
“Supposedly, they broke up about a month ago.”
“A month ago. Wait, that’s—”
“That’s pretty much when the weird stuff started happening. Funny that.”
At the reception desk, Serena told the student attendant that she was expected, and Jeremy Blatawski was called down. He showed up after five minutes and let them in. They headed to the dining hall which was slowly emptying after dinner.
Daniel seized up Jeremy on the walk and knew that Serena was doing exactly the same. Tall and thin without being lanky, Jeremy Blatawski was unremarkable: dark hair neither long nor short, features neither ugly nor handsome, and wearing jeans and a tee-shirt, which were almost camouflage on a campus. He was a chemistry doctoral candidate, they learned, three years into his program, researching the effects of corrosive agents on the next generation of plastic polymers.
“You said on the phone that you wanted to know about Marjorie then?” asked Jeremy, drinking a chamomile tea. Daniel and Serena had declined food and drinks. They were seated at an isolated table in the dining hall.
“Yes,” said Serena, pulling out a notebook. Unsure of his role, Daniel merely sat and listened. “I’m investigating her disappearance for the Daily, and I just had a few questions for you. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.” Daniel was always amazed at how his friend could channel a professional tone and composure at the drop of a hat. It made such a remarkable difference from the exuberant girl he was used to.
“It’s no problem at all. I’m just afraid I won’t be able to help you much. I haven’t seen Marjorie in almost a month now.” An expression of sadness clouded over his face, and he stared at the wall in silence, lost in thoughts.
Serena gave him a minute before continuing.
“I understand, Mister Blatawski. Still, you may know something that could help us find her. Now, you and Marjorie were a couple, yes?”
“Yes. For almost a year. We met when I was her teaching assistant for Intro to Chem. She came to my office hours with a few questions, we hit it off, and we started seeing each other more and more. We kept it secret until the end of semester because, you know, it’s frowned upon, TAs and students cavorting. Of course, I made sure that the other TA for the course graded her papers and exams, so at least ethically-speaking I’m clean, to myself if to no one else.”
“Tell me about Marjorie.”
“What’s there to say? She was wonderful. Always smiling, almost bubbly at times, full of energy. She loved photography—she worked at the paper, so you probably knew that already.” Serena nodded. “She was an Arts major, photography and digital arts. Although she loved anything having to do with images.”
“And she took chemistry?” Daniel asked.
Jeremy shrugged. “Someone told her that it might be a good course to take given that some of the stuff she was interested in was old-fashioned photography with film emulsions, as well as painting with contemporary products to get effects distinct from traditional oil or acrylic paints. I thought that was a bit misguided—the level at which we look at things in chemistry was way overkill for what she wanted to do—but I can’t complain since it got us to talk at length in the first place. And she was good at it, too. It didn’t do much for her painting, but it gave her some background to understand what I work on.”
“And how would you characterize her relationships? How does she get along with people? With men?”
“She’s okay with people. Friendly, liked to talk. She isn’t exceedingly comfortable with men, but she isn’t afraid or anything. Maybe just a bit intimidated at times. She’s shy. But she was perfectly relaxed with me.”
“And she is beautiful.”
“Yes. Maybe that was part of the problem. Men would often hit on her, and she never really knew how to respond. She could be pretty reserved, unless she had a camera before her, and then she became someone completely different.”
“So what happened to break it off?”
“I wish I could tell you, but it all happened so fast I’m not sure I know myself. I was in the Ghetto, at a friend’s, and just when I was leaving his apartment I see her in the hallway of the building. I call her name, she seems not to hear me, so I run after her, turn the corner, and I see her knocking at another apartment’s door. She’s wearing this long jacket, which I thought was weird because it was late August and pretty hot out. The door opens, this boy greets her, they exchange a few words, and then she steps up to him and kisses him. They kiss for a while, and she pulls up closer and rubs herself against him likes she really wants to get it on. I’m shocked. To say the least. The kiss lasts a while, and then the boy lets her in and closes the door behind her. I don’t know what to do at that point. I almost go up and knock on the door myself, but I don’t have the guts. What would happen anyways? It’s either her, and then what’s there to say, or it’s not her, and I make a fool of myself. So I just leave and head back here.”
Serena interrupted him gently. “Do you remember the apartment number?”
Jeremy nodded. “Apartment 3. At 102 College Drive.”
“Thank you,” said Serena, scribbling down the information. “Please, continue.”
“Not much more to tell, sadly. Later that night, she calls me, asks me if she can come over, but I ask her about her evening. She says that she was home all evening to study, and that she had missed me. I ask her if she went out at any point, and I guess I’m not very smooth about it, cause she asks me why I’m asking, and before too long I’m demanding to know who the guy was and she’s telling me that she didn’t know I could be such a jerk, and then I’m shouting and she’s shouting, and she hangs up on me or me on her, and that’s the last I’ve heard from Marjorie.”
“Wow,” says Serena. “Painful stuff. I’m so sorry. No words from her at all?”
“Nothing. She had a friend of hers bring me a small box of stuff I had left at her place. Toothbrush, socks, those sort of stupid... Fuck, I’m sorry.” He turned away from Serena and Daniel, wiping his eyes discreetly.
“Sorry,” he continued. “Didn’t realize this was so... fresh still. Hardest thing is that I don’t know what happened, how things went from great to shitty all in one evening.”
“It is just one more strange thing among many strange things about this case, Mister Blatawski. May I ask you a more... personal question? Feel free not to answer if you find it too invasive.”
“Go ahead.” He sounded tired.
“How were you and Marjorie doing sexually? Any problems? Anything odd? Anything that you think might be relevant?”
Jeremy shrugged. “Not really, no. I mean, everything was normal, I guess. I mean... Look, I haven’t had that much experience with girls, before. I had a few girlfriends, but nothing really really serious, so it’s kind of hard to compare. It was so different with Marjorie, it was, I don’t know...”
“It was made better by the fact that there was this perfect connection between you two,” completed Daniel. Serena gave him a curious look.
“Exactly.” Jeremy smiled. “A catalyst of sorts, if I can make a chem analogy. But yes, sex was great, not because it was necessarily great by itself, though it was, but because I loved her. And I thought she loved me. Until that evening, that is. Now, I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.”
“I’m not sure how to ask this, Mister Blatawski, so forgive me again for being blunt. Did Marjorie have any fantasies of submission?”
Jeremy looked at Serena with confusion. “What do you mean, submission?”
“Did she ever mention anything or do anything to suggest that she was aroused by fantasies of being submissive to someone else?”
“You mean, like whips and leather and stuff like that?”
“Well, that can be a part of it, but not exclusively. Submission can be purely intellectual. Did Marjorie ever give any indication of obeying to people that were forceful, or dominating, not out of fear, but out of something like duty, or even desire?”
Jeremy looked at a loss. “No, not that I can think of. I mean, as I said, she was shy, usually, so she did not put up fights or stuff, but, she was not deferential or anything like that. At worse, she would try to disappear in a corner, make herself invisible, shut up, maybe even leave. But obey, or doing something that someone else wanted her to do just because they would ask forcefully? No, that’s not Marjorie. Or, I mean, not the Marjorie I thought I knew.” He shook his head.
Serena stole a glance at Daniel, and gave him a quick nod. “Thank you, Mister Blatawski. This was very helpful. If you remember anything else that you think is relevant, please don’t be shy and just call me —you still have my number?” She stood up, and Daniel followed suit.
Jeremy, looking like he had been pounded on by a heavyweight champ, remained sitting in his chair. “Do you know what happened to her? Do you know what’s going on?”
“That’s exactly what I’m trying to find out, Mister Blatawski. As soon as I get some answers, I will be sure to inform you.” She paused. “She was my friend too.”
Serena and Daniel were turning to leave, when Serena stopped and looked at Jeremy. “One last question: have you ever seen this bracelet?” She showed him the charms bracelet they had found in the alley behind The Spirited Flesh the previous week.
“Huh, yes, it was Marjorie’s. Well, Marjorie had one like that. I’ve seen a few like that around.”
“Do you know where she got it from?”
“No idea. She just had it on, one day. I asked about it, and she said she won it in some contest. She kept winning stuff—a stuffy alligator, a sock puppet made to resemble our school mascot, stuff like that. She loved games.” He looked ready to cry again.
“One last question, for real this time. Did Marjorie have anything to do with the Delta Iota Kappa fraternity?”
“Not that I know of. Marjorie didn’t care for frats or sororities. Perhaps through a piece for the paper? That job took her to various places on campus.”
“Perhaps. Thanks again, Mister Blatawski. Good night.”
On their way out of the residence, Serena was deep in thought, intermittently talking to herself. “I checked at the paper, and Marjorie wasn’t on any story involving Delta Iota Kappa. Worth checking the contest angle. And trying to find other people with that bracelet. And of course talking to that guy on College Drive.”
“Can I ask you a question?” asked Daniel. “What was that about submission?”
“Just something that’s coming out of the chats I’ve been having with people these last few weeks. Marjorie was acting weird, and there was this sense that she was not herself, that she was basically doing what other people wanted. I can’t quite put it into words, but the way people talked about it, she behaved a bit like a submissive. Not quite though. It’s weird. Subs tend to show those tendencies across the board, but Marjorie didn’t do that. It’s like it was switched on and off. But submission doesn’t work that way.”
Daniel did not ask her how she knew. Serena had grown silent again, thinking. Back at the bus stop, she seemed to snap out of it, shaking her head. “Okay, then. Bus back? We have ourselves a little show to watch, right?” She smiled at Daniel who responded in kind.
“Indeed. Jenn and Radhu are probably waiting for us by now. Huh, Serena, can I ask? Why did you want me here?”
“You mean that you’re not curious about Marjorie? No, I know, okay. I was just a bit... worried. Really silly of me, I know. But it helps to have my knight in shining armor by my side on such outings.”
“Serena, the day you’re going to need a knight in shining armor to protect you is the day I’ll vote Republican. Right after I join the Army.”
Serena grinned. “Okay, okay.” She became serious. “I received this earlier today, at the paper, and I admit that it spooked me just a little bit. I just didn’t really feel like being alone.”
Daniel picked up the folded piece of paper that Serena was holding out. It was blank except for Serena’s name on the outside, in blue ink, and only a few words printed on the inside. “Stop looking for Marjorie Duquesne, or you will regret it.”
“That’s rather... direct, " Daniel said, after a pause.
“Yeah. Very Sopranos. At least, no horse head in my bed. Yet.” She laughed. Daniel looked at her, unsure of the joke.
“I gotta laugh at it, don’t I? I’m not going to stop, for sure. As I told Jeremy, Marjorie was a friend. And she’s in trouble. That’s pretty clear now. Someone doesn’t want me to find her. So now I just have to find that someone.”
“Serena, I don’t like this. It’s starting to sound dangerous.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’ve got you around to protect me, no?”
The bus arrived before Daniel could say anything in response. When they made it back to the apartment that Daniel and Jenn shared, they could tell from the voices from the living room that Radhu was already there.
“Hi love, I’m back,” shouted Daniel, “and I found someone on the way, just wandering the streets, lonely. Can we keep her?”
Jenn and Radhu were sitting in the living room, talking and drinking. Radhu, relaxed but still sitting straight on the sofa, Jenn looking a little crazed, rising to meet Daniel and Serena as they entered the room.
“Sorry we’re late,” said Daniel, kissing his girlfriend. “Hey Rad, hope you haven’t been waiting too long.”
“No,” Radhu replied. “Just ten minutes. I was regaling your girlfriend here with the latest news about Higgs bosons and what physicist are endeavoring to discover at CERN in the coming years. The latest article in Physics Review Letters is simply fascinating.”
Jenn made a face, and mouthed an unmistakable “Help!” Daniel laughed, and sat beside his friend.
“Rad, what did I tell you about talking to women?”
“Jenn is not a woman, she’s your girlfriend.”
Even Serena had to suppress a giggle at that one. Jenn frowned. Daniel shook his head, then headed off the argument.
“How about you bring me up to speed before we start the show, while we let the ladies catch up?”
“Actually, Jenn,” said Serena, “do you mind if I borrow some comfy clothes for the evening? This is a bit stiff, and I forgot to pack anything else.”
“No problem.” Jenn took Serena by the arm while casting an evil eye at Radhu. “We’ll find you something that fits.”
While Radhu entertained Daniel with the latest updates about the Large Hadron Collider, Daniel set up the entertainment system for their show. He recorded the weekly showings of Kittens’ Den, an HBO series that all of them had been watching together, every Thursday night, for the past six months.
“Do you know what tonight’s episode is about?” asked Radhu.
“Nope.” Daniel fiddled with the remote control.
“I sincerely hope this will not label me a turncoat, as you so colorfully say, but I find myself preferring this series to the original Whedon’s series,” said Radhu.
“Yeah,” replied Daniel, having figured out the right sequence of buttons to press. “Dollhouse was good, but it was needlessly dark and aimless. And following a character without real agency was a tough one. It got a bit better there at the end, but still. Well, this one’s on cable, so I guess it gives them a bit more freedom. I mean, Megan Fox, half naked, right?”
Radhu merely smiled.
“You want something to drink?” asked Daniel, heading for the kitchen.
“No thank you, I’m good.”
When Daniel came back, Jenn had returned with Serena. They had managed to find something for Serena to wear, and Daniel grinned when he saw Radhu’s face, who looked as close to having his eyes bulge out as he ever had. And for a good reason, thought Daniel. Serena had on one of his girlfriend’s camisoles, which was exceedingly tight across her generous chest—somewhat larger than Jenn’s—as well as a pair of cotton shorts that were just as tight. She looked relaxed and demure, and sexy as all hell, a picture out of a lingerie catalog. Daniel took an appreciative look at Serena’s long legs, then shrugged at Jenn as if to say “what can I say, they’re nice,” adding a look that was meant to convey “but I prefer yours.” Jenn smiled in return. She was also dressed to lounge, but she had chosen a long flowing cotton dress that hugged her curves.
He noted, not for the first time, how lucky he was to have such wonderful and beautiful girls around him—Serena the exotic firecracker, with the body of a wild beast, and Jenn the elegant beauty, with the body of a graceful toned dancer. Daniel was certain that had Radhu been able to voice an opinion at that moment he would have agreed.
Everyone settled down around the living room in the pattern that had evolved over all those television or movie nights that had become their biweekly routine—a semi-structured way for them to spend some time together, the three musketeers who were really four. They often would pick a series to watch and religiously follow it; they went through much of Lost that way, the first few seasons of Heroes before it became unwatchable, and of course Dollhouse until its cancellation. Jumping ship to the knock-off Kittens’ Den was a step they had taken with the collective equivalent of an amused grin, fully expecting to mock the new show and then move on to something better.
To their surprise, the pilot episode of Kittens’ Den had turned out to be good, and the following episodes were watched with interest, a phenomenon that was repeated across households the whole country over. The show received phenomenal ratings, especially considering that it was essentially a science-fiction show, and broadcast on a cable network. That last fact certainly helped the show runners, since they were not subject to the usual broadcast restrictions.
The setup of the show was similar to that of its inspiration—a large corporation develops a mind-imprint technology that it uses to supply a special service to wealthy customers, namely the rental of women with specifically designed personalities. Those women are housed in residences where they are taken care of and kept docile between assignments. When a customer shows up with a specific need, a suitable host, campily called a kitten, is chosen and imprinted with the requested personality, and loaned to the client. After the agreed-upon completion of the assignment, the kitten returns to the den and her mind is wiped, until a new customer requires her service. Swap out kittens for dolls, and you had Dollhouse. One difference, made abundantly clear as early as the pilot episode, was that while Dollhouse used sex and sexual fantasies for titillation and fan service only and focused on customers with somewhat unlikely needs, Kittens’ Den took the much more believable narrative path that in all likelihood kittens would be used primarily for sexual gratification— for a fee, you could get a beautiful girl with a body to kill for and a personality that could be adjusted to be anything you wanted, to enact any kink, any fetish, any twisted scenario your mind could devise.
Both shows’ main storyline revolved around a discussion of the ethics of using mind imprints, but told that story differently: Dollhouse focused on the dolls, while Kittens’ Den used the staff of the corporation and their customers to advance its story arc, the kittens essentially playing the role of victim-of-the-week. The show had managed to land various actresses to guest spot as kittens, and that the vast majority of those stars had ended up naked and doing something sexual on screen had people flocking. Megan Fox had been a particularly popular guest, so much so that she had started to make regular appearances.
That night’s episode, the musketeers were to discover, was focused on Fox’s character, a kitten with a past, and explored that past. As Daniel and Jenn cuddled together under a blanket at one end of the couch, and Radhu and Serena sat in two seats at the other end, Radhu with his long legs extended before him, Serena with her own folded under her and sipping a steaming mug of tea, the show started and quickly jumped into the story of Fox’s character.
It sounded familiar to the musketeers: Fox’s character, before becoming a kitten, was a friendly girl, a freshman in college, who just happened to reject the advances of some wealthy jerk in some Chicago bar. The man took his revenge by having the poor girl essentially abducted and turned into a kitten. He then paid to be able to have his way with her, whenever he felt the inclination. The personality he chose for her, more often than not, was her original personality, slightly adjusted to make her more receptive to his advances.
“Hey, that’s just Sierra’s backstory from Dollhouse,” commented Radhu mid-show.
“Except there it was just a single scene and mostly dialogue,” replied Serena.
And indeed, rather than simply hint at the ordeals of the character, the episode chose to dramatize the event, from the character’s initial meeting of the wealthy jerk to the first time the character visited him on kitten assignment, wearing the same short white dress she had worn at that first meeting, a dress that left very little to the imagination, complete with a tall pair of come-get-me heels, white as well. The character looked positively virginal, the white material contrasting with the olive skin of Fox, who played the role with an intensity that was refreshing considering her previous movie outings. And when her character went on to seduce the wealthy jerk, who of course had arranged the whole scenario and took a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction in making her character beg to be taken and used, the world had its first glimpse of Fox fully naked, after a small striptease that undoubtedly stained the crotch of millions of male teenagers, followed by the unexpected scene of Fox’s character servicing the wealthy jerk. Now that was television to guarantee ratings.
Jenn harrumphed. “Okay, so she’s beautiful, in a vapid empty sort of way. I don’t see why everyone on this planet is so infatuated with her, though.”
“Well, she is beautiful, with a culturally-appropriate body. Isn’t that enough?” asked Daniel.
“There are thousands and thousands of girls like her, just as beautiful, just as sexy. But Fox seems to be held on a pedestal for absolutely no reason I can discern. There isn’t an iota of personality in those eyes.”
“Perhaps that’s what attracts the common man so much, that utter lack of personality,” said Serena.
Fox’s character on the screen was getting pounced from behind, actively urging her wealthy john to take her deeper.
Radhu, eyes glued to the screen, replied in a mock insulted tone. “Not every man desires vapidity and bimboism. Some of us find personality extremely arousing.”
Serena turned to him. “Radhu, my dear, you are not the common man.”
“Sorry folks, but could you all please shut up and watch the show?” said Daniel, trying for exasperation.
Jenn turned to him and cuddled up close. “Oh,” she said, “are we keeping you from enjoying your favorite actress getting it on? Are we distracting you?” Her hand, hidden under the blanket on their lap, slid down to his crotch. “Oh my, you really like her, don’t you?” Her voice was a whisper in his ear, her breath blowing warm across his neck. She rubbed his cock through his trousers, squeezing and pressing. “You like how she’s getting fucked, right there on the screen? How she’s getting it from behind? I don’t blame you; I may find her a empty-headed bimbo, but she’s got a hot body. I’d do her.” The image conjured in Daniel’s head had the intended effect, and his cock jerked. Jenn laughed softly, and rubbed his cock harder. “Unless it’s the fact that she’s forced to do what she’s doing that turns you on so much, that she’s got no choice but to obey?”
“Hey you two,” said Serena. “Get a room!”
Jenn laughed and settled to get back to watching the show, but kept her hand on Daniel’s crotch. She deftly unzipped his trousers and snuck her hand hand inside, softly caressing Daniel’s cock while he slide her dress up over her legs and caressed them, still hidden by the blanket. He had the fleeting thought that he wished Jenn was more comfortable exposing those legs of hers. Then again, she was more than happy to wear tight clothes, which outlined her legs perfectly, and if she was uncomfortable showing actual skin, that was her business. He was sure there were things about him that she was not completely thrilled about anyways. Compromise—every relationship is compromise, he had learned the hard way. And if one’s extent of compromising is having to accept one’s girlfriend not being comfortable showing off her legs to random people, well, one was a lucky son of a gun.
They watched the end of the episode just like that, and afterwards just left the television on to catch whatever was playing, a movie about zombies in this particular case. It was quiet, very quiet in the apartment. Daniel sneaked a glance over at Radhu and Serena. Radhu was fast asleep, long legs stretched out before him. Serena was asleep as well, her head resting on her folded arms on the side of the one seater.
Jenn, who was still intermittently playing with Daniel’s cock, looked at him. “What?” she asked.
“Nothing. They’re asleep.”
“Does that make us bad hosts?”
“Don’t know, but it does mean that I can be a bit more free to do this,” and he ran his hand on the insider of her thigh, under her dress, and touched the outline of her pussy through her panties, making her gasp.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“You’ve been playing with me and teasing me for the past twenty minutes,” he said. “I’m about to go nuts here. So I’m upping the ante.”
“Can’t we just wait until they’ve gone?” she said, before closing her eyes as Daniel slipped two fingers under the flimsy material covering her sex and slid them inside her. She was wet, he noted. Good.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “I want you.”
She turned her head to look at their friends sleeping. “Are you crazy?”
“I’m not crazy, I’m horny. You’ve been teasing me, now’s time to pay up. Only fair. Besides,” he grinned, “I’m cashing this in.” And he handed her a small card. Jenn stared at it, having recognized it immediately, and even though it was dark Daniel could tell by the glow from the television screen that Jenn was blushing. Well, he thought, I guess there’s a first time for everything.
“Now?” she asked. “But—”
“Didn’t you say anytime, anywhere? Your words. Now if you don’t wanna play anymore...”
Jenn stiffened, then shook her head in resolve. “No. I’ll do it. What... what does it say?” She looked at the card. “Order a player you control to perform any single sexual act you desire.”
“Consider yourself lucky that I picked this one instead of any of the other two I have,” said Daniel.
Jenn looked at him. “What do you want?”
“I’ll go easy on you. One of your wonderful blow jobs will do just fine.”
Jenn looked at Radhu and Serena one last time, then crouched next to Daniel, ducked her head under the blanket, and pulled his trousers down his thighs. Daniel could not see anything because of the blanket, but he could feel Jenn’s hand on his cock, followed by her warm breath seconds before the took the head in her mouth and sucked, hard. He gasped, and sank down into the sofa, making himself comfortable. On the screen, Woody Harrelson was wielding a shotgun and shooting zombies.
Jenn was really going to town on his cock, and the added effect of not being able to see her seemed to multiply the sensations. Her head was bobbing up and down under the blanket, and a muffled slurping sound could be heard dimly. Jenn was taking his cock in her mouth deep, not bothering to be subtle about it, sucking to achieve maximum effect in the shortest amount of time. Before long his hips were moving to meet her descending lips, and he moaned. He ran a hand over her back, down to her ass, and he squeezed it through the dress. He toyed with the idea of lifting her dress to fondle her directly, and shot a glance to Radhu and Serena to make sure they were still asleep.
He had no reason to think they were not, so he nearly jumped when he saw that Serena was staring right at him. His eyes grew wide, and was about to tell Jenn to stop when Serena shook her head and put a finger across her lips. Jenn’s head was bobbing up and down under the blanket and it was perfectly obvious was she was doing. Radhu was sleeping away.
Daniel watched Serena, who kept her gaze locked on his, as she let her hand travel down from her mouth to her chest, and squeezed one of her breasts, methodically, pinching a nipple through the thin material of the camisole. Daniel’s eyes grew wider as he realized that Serena was getting turned on watching his girlfriend go down on him. He was torn between wanting to stop everything, and just take full advantage of the situation, as eerie as it was. And then the combination of Jenn starting to suck even harder under the blanket and Serena unfolding her long legs and spreading them wide, clinched it. His cock seemed to get even harder, and if Jenn noticed she did not show it. He ran his hand down back to her ass and squeezed again, harder, eliciting a moan from under the blanket. His eyes were glued to Serena’s fingers that were tracing lazy circles on her inner thigh, while he slowly pulled Jenn’s dress over her legs and then over her ass, which she dutifully raised to help him. The way free, he fondled the exposed cheeks, caressing and rubbing and squeezing, unconsciously following the rhythm of Jenn’s suction. Serena was still playing with her breasts and her thighs, teasing herself by almost but not quite slipping her fingers down her shorts.
Daniel felt no such compulsion, and despite the awkward position, slid a finger through Jenn’s panties and ran it through her slit, finding it dripping wet. Jenn moaned around his cock, and simultaneously took him deep into her mouth and lifted her ass up to provide him with better access, allowing Daniel to slide his finger into her snatch, unaware of the show she was putting on. Serena’s eyes left Daniel’s and followed his finger in its in and out motion, fascinated. They kept it up for a few minutes, the muffled sounds of Jenn’s slurping and occasional gagging barely audible over the sounds from the television.
“Jenn,” he whispered, eventually, “fuck, I’m going to come.”
Jenn pushed her head down onto his cock one last time, then pulled out from under the blanket, disheveled, her mouth wet and dripping saliva, slightly out of breath, and looking crazed.
“We’re not wasting this,” she whispered back as she climbed onto his lap, her dress bunched up around her waist, at the same time wrapping the blanket around both of their bodies and sinking her wet pussy onto his erect shaft. It felt to Daniel like slipping into a vat of molten wax, it was hot and slippery and felt so good. He groaned, put his hands on her hips as she started to ground them on his lap, pushing her down to produce some friction on her clit.
“The card only talked about one act, I thought,” he joked.
“Screw the card. I’m so horny I can’t think right now. So shut up and fuck me.”
He pushed his hips up in stead of a reply, and Jenn let herself go against him to better appreciate the feeling, trying to remain silent by muffling her gasp into Daniel’s shoulder. As he fucked her—or more accurately, as he let himself be fucked by the beautiful brunette —Daniel sneaked a glance at Serena, who was still watching, with half-closed eyes and a hand underneath her borrowed shorts, and was frigging herself slowly. Daniel could see her hand move under the material, and could just picture Serena’s long fingers playing with her clit and gliding along her outer lips. The image of the tall, beautiful black girl with her long naked legs spread wide and touching herself was unearthly.
Jenn was pumping up and down on his cock with renewed energy, never noticing that they had a spectator. Daniel looked at her. Her eyes were closed, and she was biting her upper lip, whether to prevent herself from making too much noise or because she had lost control of her expression he did not know. He could see the thin film of sweat on her brow, the intensity in her face. She was beautiful. He loved her.
Jenn must have sensed the look, because she opened her eyes and looked right at him, without speaking, just as she pulled herself off his cock in order to push herself down upon it even more forcefully. She was smiling. Daniel knew her enough to know that at that point she wanted to get fucked, thoroughly, hard, to get lost in the sensations of an orgasm being screwed out of her kicking and screaming. But there was no way to do that then, as they had to be careful. So she kept a lid on most of her feelings, and it had the predictable effect of making her even more frenzied and craving release. Daniel could see the conflict in her eyes, and reveled in it. This may have started out as Jenn playing with his fantasies as a matter of gently trying to convince him to follow her to Texas, despite her denials, but right then, she was into it with no ulterior motive, because it turned her on, because it made her hot, because it plugged into fantasies of her own.
In her corner of the room, Serena had moved on, by all appearances, to finger fucking herself. Her hand stretched out Jenn’s shorts, and rhythmically plunged in and out, the motion like a wave or a heartbeat under the material. Daniel could imagine that as well as he could her frigging earlier, her finger, or perhaps fingers, diving smoothly into her silken pussy, sucked in, pistoning in and out without resistance, hugged, squeezed, pulled in deep. Serena’s eyes were alternatively open and closed, watching him and Jenn fucking before her and lost in some internal fantasy. Daniel wondered whether she was imagining herself on top of him, in place of Jenn. He realized that Jenn was fucking him pretty much like Serena had so many years ago, and the parallels forced a shiver through him. Or perhaps, and the thought came unbidden as he looked at Serena a few seconds longer, saw her lips parted and her tongue sneaking out, saw her eyes fixed on the back Jenn’s head, perhaps she was imagining herself in place of Daniel, with Jenn straddling her, kissing her, rubbing against her. That image had way too much power behind it, he opined. He did not know if Serena had any bisexual tendencies—although knowing his highly sexual friend he would not have been in the least bit surprised —and Jenn had never expressed any interest aside from casual mentions in the throes of lovemaking. But the thought of his beautiful girlfriend and his equally beautiful friend together was almost more than he could bear, and of their volition his hips slammed up to meet Jenn’s thrusts.
Jenn noticed the increase in intensity and opened her eyes to look at him, and he returned the look, and in silence, eye to eye, his cock thrusting into her pussy harder and harder, the sounds of sex muffled by the surrounding blanket, they came—Jenn first, biting her lips to keep from screaming, holding on to his shoulders as she tensed like a spring ready to snap before she was overcome by long bone-deep shudders that made her moan to the point that she had to plunge her head into Daniel’s shoulder again, Daniel not far behind her, spurred by her pussy squeezing his cock, his eyes now on Serena, who was also reaching her own climax, her hand jerking harder and harder underneath the shorts and stretching the elastic band, her legs quivering with the buildup of tension, her mouth open, also trying to keep silent, and then going rigid, her hand pressing hard against her pussy, finger undoubtedly pushed deep inside her, her other hand on her wrist as if to keep it from sliding out, her mouth now open in an almost stereotypical O, as her body was raked by shudders that rivaled Jenn’s, and at that point it was too much for Daniel who clenched hard, crunching on the couch, pushing hard into Jenn, knocking the breath out of the poor recovering girl, and came, hard, like a soda bottle shaken and abruptly opened, holding on to his girlfriend, spurting long streams of jizz deep inside her, as she held his head against her and caressed his hair. He could feel her smiling against the sides of his head. He was not sure if he was smiling or grimacing himself. He collapsed back against the couch, Jenn on top of him, as they both tried to catch their breath. On the television screen, Woody Harrelson was making a last stand against zombies in an amusement park.
Daniel figured he had fallen asleep, because the next thing he was aware of was the movie end credits. He looked around. Jenn was cuddled up next to him, prim and proper again, if sporting a satisfied smile. Serena was composed at her end of the room, also looking satisfied. Radhu was sleeping still, stirring vaguely. Serena caught Daniel’s eye, and she winked at him, a sweet smile on her lips.
Jenn was the first to stand, stretching herself like a cat, whereupon Serena did the same. The movement woke Radhu, who looked around, seemingly lost.
“Huh... what... did I fall asleep?”
“Yup, buddy. About two hours ago.”
“Aw crap. Shouldn’t have stayed up so late last night.” His voice trailed off, his eyes glued on Serena’s rear as she left the room. Daniel laughed inside, wondering how his friend would have reacted to seeing Serena pleasuring herself earlier. He’d have probably popped a few neurons, he thought. Poor boy. Perhaps one day.
They talked for a bit, while Serena was changing back into her day clothes, and Jenn cleaned up the remains of their snacks.
“Okay guys, I should get going,” said Serena from near the entryway. “Thanks for the evening, as usual.”
“Hold on, Serena. I’m leaving with you,” said Radhu. He still looked somewhat shell-shocked. “Wow, sorry about dispatching like I did tonight.”
“Don’t worry about it,” replied Daniel, clasping his friend on the shoulder. “Just good to have you around, you know.”
They made their way to the entrance of the apartment, where Serena was waiting for them, looking composed and professional once more, and where Jenn, looking sleepy, came to join them. She slid her arm around Daniel’s waist. “All right, you two. Have a safe walk back. And we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Sure,” said Serena, and she hugged Jenn. Daniel saw her whisper something in Jenn’s ear. Jenn blushed almost immediately, turning redder than Daniel had ever seen her, and just as she was about to say something, Serena put a finger on her lips, shushing her. She then smiled, nodded to Daniel, and turned to leave. Radhu, looking very much like a man who had missed something interesting, gave Daniel a quizzical glance. Daniel shrugged his shoulders, and put his arm around Jenn, who was still faintly flushed. When the door closed behind their friends, Jenn turned to Daniel. “How much... how much did she see?”
“Pretty much the whole thing, I’m afraid.”
“Why didn’t you...?”
“Tell you? Love, given how you were going, I wouldn’t have been able to stop you even if I had wanted to. You were hot! And besides, I think Serena enjoyed it very much.”
Jenn looked into Daniel’s eyes.
“I’m not surprised. Ah well.” She kissed him, softly, on the lips.
“Why, what did she tell you?”
Her kiss became more forceful.
“I’ll tell you later. Maybe. For now, though, how about you take me to the bedroom and fuck me properly? The itch is not quite gone yet.”
“And the thought of Serena watching you as you jumped me has nothing to do with this itch, does it?”
Jenn never answered the question, and simply pulled Daniel with her to the bedroom.