The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Margot held up a shiny new cutout as he addressed the group, a full size standee of his namesake as Barbie.

“Sorry dudes and dudettes, no sign of Doctor Kraken. Cops have been searching high and low, but nothing in our dimensions. I’ve been patrolling here—also zip. It could be that he’s gone completely to ground.”

“But Dom’s probably right—he’s gonna do something loud and stupid. Dickweed’s gonna dick, ya know?”

“Ok, fine. So what is the plan?” Dave’s tone was equal parts afraid and annoyed. “Are we just gonna sit here until he shows up and burns the park down?”

“Yes, actually.” Everyone turned to look at Dom and he put his hands up. “I mean, we’ll keep him from burning the park down, but otherwise we are just gonna sit tight. Margot’s here, so once Kraken shows up, he can call in the cops or a Judge or whatever—then we can whip his multi-dimensional ass. There’ll be no way out of the trap.”

“So we’re bait. Fantastic.”

Dom took a deep breath. He was irritated at Dave’s energy… but the man was right. He pointed at Lorraine. “There’s tens of thousands of people in the same spot Lorraine was yesterday. Transformed and brainwashed into busty slaves, so Doctor Kraken would have some T&A to jazz up a YouTube video.”

“That shit wont stand. That’s why you made CHECKSUM in the first place. That’s why we’re all here. We’re standing up for the folks who can’t, and that means the target is on our backs. We kicked the hornet’s nest—can’t be surprised an angry hornet flew out. This is our best chance to catch the fucker and fix all this.”

Dave slumped, sighed heavily, pinched the bridge of his nose. “Like I said before, just because you’re right doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Lorraine took his hand, and he looked at her with a lopsided smile.

Lola slapped Dave on the back. “Come on dork-ass, we got this. Dom’ll do his magic act, Zoey’ll cave a few skulls in, Violet’ll do her rope tricks and you’ll run the command center. This whole hotel is your personal mousetrap! You’ve got the cameras, the door locks, everything. Plus, we got Margot here to guard the metaphorical back door!”

Lola gestured at Margot… who was gone. There was only empty air where he’d been floating a moment before.

“Nicky?” Zoey stood up and reached out where Margot’d been, touching nothing.

“Everyone out.” Dominick dropped everyone into realspace, following behind. Loud alarms greeted him. He turned to Dave, who was already lunging for his laptop.

“Fire alarm!” he shouted. “Building’s being evacuated!” He turned to Dom. “What the fuck happened to your friend?”

“Gotta be Kraken’s doing. Is there an actual fire somewhere?”

“I don’t see anything on the cameras. Just lots of Girls guiding tourists out.”

There was the sound of thunder from outside. “It wasn’t raining five minutes ago…” Zoey moved to the window, pulled back the curtains to sheets of rain hitting the glass. A bolt of lightning cracked in the distance and there was another boom.

Lola put her hands on her hips, sneering at the display. “This guy is a fucking drama queen. I look forward to kicking his ass.”

“Lola, you got the rock?” Dom was calmly watching the chaos unfold on Dave’s laptop.

She fished the Crown Royal bag from its hiding place. “Yes, Master.”

“You remember the words?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good.” He moved to the center of the room and sat in the lotus position. “When it starts, Dave and Zoey are gonna have their hands full and I’m going to be… busy. You start calling Margot and don’t stop. If he’s still out there, the rock ought to bring him back.”

With that, Dominick closed his eyes and imagined the Shining Dodecahedron, setting it spinning in his mind.

«The will is Infinite. I rend space, I twist time, I open my soul to the Beyond…»

He continued intoning for a time, but opened his eyes when Violet called. “Mr Vasquez, you need to see this!” Dom moved to the window and Violet pointed down.

The Poseidon mascot stood in the courtyard, fleeing tourists giving it a wide berth as they scattered. Its face lifted as Dominick looked down into its black eyes and the foam expression shifted into a cruel smile. The right arm extended, tentacles encircling the Reconfig-a-mabob. It flashed purple-black, and the throng of people froze in place. Vibrating, one by one they were replaced with Hot Girls™, who stared up along with their new master.

Dom concentrated. “Hello, Citizens of the Dimensional Curve—this is Dominick Vasquez. I’m coming to you live from Bacchanal Bay, on Earth, Milky Way galaxy, in the Fourth Dimension. Doctor Kraken has come for me and my family. I’m going to hold him back as long as I can. If you can hear me, call the cops, call the army, do whatever you can.”

Zoey moved to Dom, took his hand. “Be careful, Nicky. I love you.”

“Love you too, sweetie.” He turned. “Love you, Lola—ready?”

“Ready, Master!” She pulled the Dodecahedron from the bag and sat on the bed, mumbling to herself.

“Alright sweetie, go wrap your hands up. No good breaking your wrists fighting. Dave, full lockdown. Make ’em climb ten flights of stairs in the dark. Then you, Violet and Lorraine barricade the doors.”

With that, Dominick walked out onto the balcony, rain whipping into his face. He stared down at Doctor Kraken, who spread his arms wide, tentacles flailing.

“IT’S YA BOI!” he screamed, a crack of lightning punctuating his words.

Dom cupped his hands and shouted. “How’s the channel, asshole?!”

“YOU’RE DEAD, FLATLANDER! YOU’RE FUCKING DEAD!”

In his mind, Dominick continued his intonation. «The will is Infinite. I rend space, I twist time, I open my soul to the Beyond. I summon one of The Many-Angled Ones…» In the world, he sneered and gave Kraken the ‘bring it’ gesture, like Morpheus in The Matrix.

“Shut up and fight.”

The legion of Hot Girls™ moved as one, racing towards the front lobby. Doctor Kraken simply flew, space warping around him as he launched into the sky.

Dominick had just enough time to shout a warning before Kraken reached him, tentacle lashing out and throwing him through the open balcony door. He hit the back wall and fell onto his ass.

“Tell me you’re filming this, Vasquez! Please tell me you’re filming this!” The horror-filled mascot loomed over him, foam lips moving to the words. “I really want all your ‘fans’ to see me smash your fucking head like a melon!”

Dom saw Zoey start to move, but he put up a hand to stop her. He stared up at Kraken, talking too softly to hear.

“Speak up Flatlander!” Doctor Kraken lifted Dom to his feet, pulled him nose-to-foam-nose. “Don’t want to mumble your last words!”

Dom screamed. “I summon one of The Many-Angled Ones into the palace of my mind! I call the STUPID FUCKER who dared to lay a hand on MY WIFE! Īa! Awaken sleeper! ATTEND!!!”

The foam suit crumpled, empty, and Dominick collapsed to the floor.

The multidimensional thing that was Doctor Kraken screamed with inhuman fury, shaking the walls of Dominick’s mind. He lashed out with teeth and tentacles, hammer blows that echoed like thunder. Dom dodged, blocked, threw bolts of white fire into Kraken’s crazed eyes. His first person view became a vast screen on the back of his mind palace, livestream broadcasting to worlds beyond.

A subtitle appeared on the screen, over and over again. Attend! Attend! Attend! Attend!

“Nice try Vasquez, but you’re still totally fucked!” Kraken charged, missing Dom by inches, a dozen grasping tentacles tearing at his defenses. “I’m from the Ninth dimension—your mind is fucking tissue paper to me! I can see you from every direction, all at once! I can see your past, your present, your future! And I’m gonna smash them ALL!”

“You’re not gonna smash shit.” Dom turned, took his battle stance. Around them both, the dojo materialized. Doctor Kraken turned, baffled, all eyes on Dominick.

“You’re in my house, fuckface.”

A dozen flaming blows smashed into the horror from behind.

“I can’t wake him!” Zoey shook Dominick as hard as she dared, but he was senseless to the world. “Come on Nicky, wake up!”

“Leave him, Zoey.” Dave’s voice was calm, or at least he was trying to make it calm. “He’s got Kraken caged up in his head—we gotta keep him safe from the Hot Girls until he wins the fight.”

Or dies, he thought to himself.

“They’re pouring up the stairs.” He and Lorraine watched the progress on his laptop. “It’ll take ’em a minute to pry the stairwell door open, but then they’ll be on us.”

Violet took in the situation. “They’ll attempt to enter from the front door and the two adjoining rooms. We’ve barricaded them as best we can, but they won’t keep forever. Mistress, any progress?”

Lola sat cross-legged on the bed, furiously mumbling to herself and staring at the Dodecahedron. “I… I think something…” Then as she spoke, it gently lifted into the air, an inch above her palm. The rock started to spin, slowly, and it glowed a pale purple.

“Holy shit… it’s working.” She stared in wonder as the spinning stone began to fill her mind. “It’s fucking working. I’m doing magic…”

“Well, do it fast!” Dave barked the order and stood up. “They’re through the stairwell door—they’re coming!” The sound of running feet grew in the distance.

Dom hammered on Doctor Kraken, fists and feet raining down from every direction. For a minute it worked—the horror was pummeled and bashed, driven from one corner of the dojo to another. But then Kraken recovered, and took out five Dominick doppelgangers with a single tentacle swipe.

“Ok,” Dom thought, “time for a new metaphor.”

Suddenly Doctor Kraken was standing (insofar as he could be said to stand) waist deep in water. He looked around in a panic and saw tiny buildings stretching out in front of him—he was enormous, hundreds of yards tall, standing in the ocean in front of a coastal town.

A roaring noise made Kraken turn, only for an enormous robotic Dominick to smash into him, rockets blazing from his cybernetic feet. He piledrived the horror into a shinto temple, smashing it flat and knocking the wind from Kraken’s metaphorical lungs.

Mecha-Dom tensed his fists, and large missile pods emerged from his back. Hundreds of missiles launched, blasting into Kraken’s prone form, the explosions tearing into his body. Doctor Kraken groaned in pain, tried to stand—only for Mecha-Dom to grab him by a tentacle and swing the horror into an office building.

Attend! Attend! Attend! Attend!

«The will is Infinite. I rend space, I twist time, I open my soul to the Beyond. I summon one of The Many-Angled Ones into the palace of my mind. I call that which put its mark upon my husband’s soul. Īa! Awaken sleeper! Attend! Attend! Attend goddamnit!»

Lola thought as hard as she could, repeating the summoning song over and over again, as the pounding on the doors grew ever louder.

«The will is Infinite. I rend space, I twist time, I open my soul to the Beyond. I summon one of The Many-Angled Ones into the palace of my mind. I call that which—oh damn it! MARGOT, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE! WE’RE IN DEEP SHIT!»

“Holy shit my dude! I won’t believe how far that fuckass threw me! I haven’t been to that corner of the multiverse since—Lola!?” Margot floated in shock as he took in the forest green expanse of Lola’s mind.

“CUTOUT! CUTOUT!” she screamed, her mind reeling at Margot’s unshielded dimensionality.

“Oh fuck!” He fumbled to put up his Barbie standee, Lola gasping with relief as the pressure on her sanity released. “What the hell, dudette? What’s happening? Where’s Dom?”

“Master… Master is fighting that Kraken guy. Pulled the guy into his head, just like this. I’m on ‘find Margot’ duty. Zoey and Violet and all are holding back a bunch of brainwashed tourists!”

“That fucking influencer prick! Let’s get out there and save the fucking day!”

Lola put her hands up. “You can’t! You’ll blast everyone’s brain to bouillabaisse!”

Margot put his tentacles up in exasperation. “Well what should we do!?”

Another ax blow punched a hole in the main door, a beautiful blue eye peeking through the gap. Dozens of voices in the hall spoke at once. “Housekeeping,” they droned.

“Come back later!” Lorraine shrieked.

Dave jammed the end of a standing lamp through the gap, pushing the Girl away, but hands on the other side grabbed it and started pulling. He turned back to assess the scene, then dropped the lamp. “ZOEY—THE BALCONY!”

Two Hot Girls had crawled from the adjoining balcony, ten stories up, and were only a few paces from Dominick’s prone body. Zoey charged, kicking the first one in the chest and driving a hammerblow left into the temple of the second. That one fell limp to the floor.

“Sorry! I know you don’t mean it!” Zoey hated hurting these Girls, it wasn’t their fault, but nobody was going to lay a hand on her Nicky.

The other Girl tackled Zoey, slamming her into the wall and onto the floor. Zoey drove a right into her kidney, then twisted, leveraging the Girl and flipping on top of her. She headbutted the Girl, neatly breaking her nose and knocking her out. Zoey stood, wiping blood from her forehead, then darted out onto the balcony. Two more Girls were preparing to cross from the other side. “GET BACK!” she shouted, brandishing a chair to keep them at bay.

“Hey Daaaave….” Lola called. At that moment, Dave was quite busy trying to prevent a dozen Girls from pulling the door apart with their hands, but her tone was distant and eerie and the room was starting to turn purple. He turned to see the Dodecahedron spinning wildly above her hand, throwing fierce purple light around the room like a disco ball.

“Um, Lola?”

She looked at him, and her eyes were forest green from edge to edge. When she spoke, two voices came out at once.

“I found Margot. Shit’s about to get weird.”

Lola rose above the bed, levitating, coils of purple energy snaking around her naked form from the stone. She pointed it towards the door, and a writhing mass of ethereal tentacles emerged, exploding through the gap and into the throng of Girls. There was a smell of ozone and a crackling sound that made everyone’s hair stand on end.

Then the attack ceased, replaced by the sound of panicked women running for their lives. From the balcony, Zoey saw two tentacles plunge intangibly into the climbing Girls’ skulls, watched their eyes roll back, then consciousness return. They looked at the situation in absolute confusion and fear. “Fuck off!” Zoey threw the chair near them, hitting the adjoining balcony. They did as they were told.

The attack receded, but the fear did not. Everyone in the room looked at the floating figure on the edge of panic, improvised weapons held high. Dave took one step forward, lamp ready to swing. “Lola? Lola, what’s happening?”

“Chillax, bro—it’s me.” Lola and Margot’s voice emerged at once from her throat. “Lola let me borrow her body for a sec—you all know how bad it is when I just pop out. Much more pleasant this way.”

Dave lowered the lamp… a little. “Yeah, this is much less horrifying. What did you do to them?”

“Same thing Dom did to the new dudette over there,” Lola/Margot pointed at Lorraine. “Cut their minds loose. Bodies’ll take more work, but it stopped them from attacking.” She/he floated over to Dom. “Now let’s just jump into Dom’s head real quick, and the two of us will curbstomp Doctor Kraken.”

She/he reached a ghostly tentacle down to Dom’s forehead… then stopped.

“Oh fuck,” she/he murmurred. “He actually did it.”

Zoey put a hand on Lola’s floating leg. “What happened, what’s wrong?”

“I can’t get in.” Lola/Margot shook her/his head in shock. “No room left. His mind is filled with something else…”

Attend! Attend! Attend! Attend!

Dom moved from metaphor to metaphor, never letting Doctor Kraken gain his footing. He was a boxer, a Jedi, a knight on horseback, John Wick briefly, and a hundred other things. Everytime the horror got his bearings, Dominick yanked them away again, landing hundreds of burning blows. There were broken tentacles now, smashed teeth, blackened eyes.

But Doctor Kraken was vast and relentless. For all that Dom was hammering away, he knew he wasn’t anything more than a swarm of ants crawling up a lion’s leg. And he was getting tired and running out of ideas.

Attend! Attend! Attend! Attend!

“Why… huff… why won’t you just die already!?” Kraken spun slowly, panting, trying to find Dominick in the blackness of the forest. He responded by throwing ninja stars into the horror’s eyes. “Fuuuck!”

Attend! Attend! Attend!—!!!

Dom froze as his summons connected, his mind opening impossibly to draw it in. Doctor Kraken sensed the change and lashed out in all directions, catching Dom in the chest and smashing him into the floor. The forest scene evaporated as Kraken pressed down hard, pinning him in place.

“Fucking FINALLY!” Doctor Kraken metaphorically leaned over Dominick, the increased pressure making him groan. “What was the point of all this, Vasquez? You fought and you fought and it didn’t do a fucking thing. Nada. Zip. A flatlander like you couldn’t beat a ninth dimensional on your best day. We’re just better than you—superior, higher up the curve.”

“I’m glad you’re still filming. It’s time to teach that lesson to everyone.” He lifted his tentacles high for the killing blow. “So, like I said before, any last words for your fans?”

“One word, actually.” Dom wheezed this out, ribs aching from the blow, rather spoiling his dramatic pronouncement. He pressed on anyway.

“Judgement.”

Doctor Kraken paused. “...What?”

“I DEMAND JUDGEMENT!” Dom’s words echoed in his own ears as he screamed. Then the entire ceiling of his mental palace tore away, and he saw everything. The complete dimensional curve, from edge to edge, an infinity of infinities. For a single heartbeat, he stared eye-to-eye with a being of the Forty Second Dimension in all of its terrible glory.

The act snuffed his mind like a blown candle. His metaphorical body vanished instantly, mist evaporating away, leaving the white fire of his soul to gutter in the winds of the impossible.

Doctor Kraken screamed in absolute terror as he beheld his superior. A hand the size of a planet squeezed him tight before he could move. A second hand gently scooped up the white fire, stared at it quizzically. A vast white mask materialized in front of the Judge, big as a star, and it gently blew on the fire. It caught, kindled, blazed—and Dominick reappeared gasping.

He beheld the Judge’s shattering immensity and was dumbstruck, mouth flapping uselessly trying to find words to describe it.

“You summon me to pass judgement? What is the charge?” The Judge’s voice was a supernova, stripping away the atmosphere of a distant world.

Dom gritted his teeth, gathered himself. “Illegal transformation of a sentient, tens of thousands of counts! Possession of an illegally modified Reconfig-a-mabob! And unauthorized use of copyrighted material, specifically my likeness!”

The Judge turned to Doctor Kraken. “How do you plead?”

“Not guilty!” Kraken shouted, outraged. “You can’t listen to this flatlander! He’s from the fourth dimension—he only counts as sentient on a technicality! I want a lawyer!”

“SILENCE.” The command punched into both of them like a bullet. Neither Dominick or Kraken would be able to speak again until The Judge willed it. “I will now review the evidence.” Both of them writhed as The Judge rifled through their minds and their pasts, memories shooting up like a geyser.

The Judge turned its cyclopean eyes to Doctor Kraken. “I find you GUILTY on all counts. The sentence is imprisonment, until such time as you are rehabilitated. GO.” Screaming, Doctor Kraken rocketed up the dimensional curve and disappeared.

Dom took a relieved breath, but then those terrible eyes fixed on him.

“It is forbidden to summon a Judge to the lower dimensions without writ or warrant. You have circumvented justice to bring me forth.” The vast mountain ranges of The Judge’s fingers began to close. “I judge you as well, Dominick Vasquez. The sentence…”

There was a pause. “Excuse me, your name is Dominick Vasquez?” The vastness of The Judge’s voice was gone. It was just a guy asking him a question.

“Um, yes, your Honor?”

“The Dominick Vasquez? The warlock from YouTube?”

Dom stood up slowly. He wasn’t exactly sure what was happening. “Yes, your Honor, that’s me.”

“My granddaughter is obsessed with your videos! Won’t shut up about them! I purchased her a Lil’ Dom stuffie for her birthday.” A glossy photo materialized in the air before Dominick—a headshot of himself. “Would you mind terribly signing this? It would make her entire aeon. Her name is—” Dominick winced as the eldritch name assaulted his mind.

“I’d be happy to, your Honor… though you’ll need to help me with the spelling. She might be watching right now—do you want to say hello?”

The Judge’s stellar mask looked around. “We’re on video?”

Dom put his hands up. “Your Honor, I’ve been livestreaming everything for days! I was told that the authorities had been called—I had to pull you in ahead of schedule because Doctor Kraken was trying to kill me! It was self defense!”

The Judge’s mask tilted, confused. “Really? I wasn’t made aware. Wait a moment.” It looked up, and the livestream playback appeared, as big as the whole sky. The Judge scrubbed through it, vast finger moving the time slider back and forth.

“Ah well… seems like I might have dropped the ball on this one.” The Judge shrugged sheepishly. “It appears I had some files mixed up. Your case is dismissed.” A pen appeared next to the photo. “Once you sign.”

Dom signed, ‘To My (Literally) Biggest Fan,‘—followed by a dozen arcane sigils—‘All the Best From Me and Your Grandpa. Dominick!’

“Thank you, Mr Vasquez. I’m going to win Best Grandpa Ever for this one.”

“Of course, your Honor.” There was a pause. “So, um, sir… how do we fix all the damage Kraken did? There’s a lot of people who got changed against their will.”

“We?” The Judge’s tone was dismissive. “I’m sorry, but that’s not my department. Besides, if I descended to your dimension, I would shatter your planet like glass. No, I’m afraid you’re in charge of cleanup. If this livestream footage is any indication, that’s kind of your ‘thing’ anyway, right? Protecting the fourth dimension from criminals?”

Dom sighed to himself. “You know, a year ago, I was just a cartoonist.” He turned back to The Judge. “Yes, your Honor. That is, in fact, my thing.”

“Perfect!” The Judge bisected Dominick in half vertically. Each half spasmed in shock and pain.

“I’m just gonna stick a Deconfig-a-Mabob inside you so you can clean up, and a private line to my chambers. It was a delight to meet you, but I’d prefer you call before you summon me this far down the Dimensional Curve. The commute is outrageous.”

A shining blue ball of interlocking crystal spheres was jammed into the left side of his exposed brain, a cell phone into the right. Then The Judge smashed Dominick back together. He collapsed into The Judge’s palm.

“Speaking of the commute…” The Judge mimed looking at a galaxy-sized watch. “I have to get going. It’s a long drive home, and I’m sure you have lots to do. Have a good day!”

Dom fell back into realspace. He blinked, got up on an elbow—and was immediately bearhugged by Zoey. “Oh Nicky, Nicky, Nicky—tell me you’re ok, please tell me you’re ok!”

“Too hard!” he gasped, and she released him slightly. “I’m ok, Zoey. It’s done—Doctor Kraken is gone.” Dom looked at the relieved expressions of his family—then stopped dead when he saw Lola floating in the air.

“Um, Lola, sweetie… you ok?”

“We’re fine, Master Dude.” She/he landed and knelt at Dominick’s side. “So you called down a Judge, huh?” Dom nodded, a bit sheepishly. “Probably a dumb idea, but I was out of options.”

Lola/Margot shrugged. “Eh, I kinda figured you’d do it. I just wasn’t sure you’d be able to talk your way out of the ticket for calling a Judge without the proper paperwork.”

“Yeah, it turns out The Judge knew who I was—thanks to your videos. Let me off easy—just some community service. I gotta unfuck this whole situation.”

“They give you a Deconfig-a-mabob?” Dom nodded. “That’ll simplify things.”

“Listen, I’m gonna bounce fam. Lola’s gotta use the can—gonna give her some privacy. Talk to you later!” The Dodecahedron stopped spinning, falling into Lola’s palm as the power faded.

“Gee, thanks Margot for sharing that.” Lola hugged Dom. “I’m glad you’re not dead, Master. That would have ruined my day.” She paused. “I do actually need to use the restroom. Be right back.”

Dave and Violet helped Dom up, and took in the room. “Those Hot Girls really fucked up the doors. I hope they don’t try to bill us.”

“I can’t imagine we’re liable Mr Ashcroft, but I’m sure—“ Violet paused as a woman started shouting in the corner.

“...DO THAT TO PEOPLE! THAT’S NOT WHAT I WISHED, GODDAMNIT!” The woman paused. “Why is there a blanket on my head?”

Epilogue

It took several days to clean up Doctor Kraken’s mess. Zoey, Violet and Lorraine spread out through the park, finding the tourists who had been transformed and freed, while Dominick, Lola and Dave added a reverse setting to the Hot Girl™ Ride. Then they had to tear that down and rework it, when a notable portion of the de-Hottified tourists demanded to be Hot Girls again—Lorraine included.

The Mark Three ride started processing park employees a gondola at a time, around the clock, with hourly runs to re-Hottify those that requested it. Memories were restored, pasts set right—or changed. Everyone got what they wanted out of their job at Bacchanal Bay, and future Hot Girls™ would be strictly voluntary.

There was also a long meeting with Krystallo Orfanos. She wasn’t a bad person, all things considered, but she hadn’t asked questions about her ‘genie’ when he first appeared. She wished for her billions and the park, and didn’t think about all the changes she’d made to get them. It was only days later that Doctor Kraken’s true nature came out—and then suddenly she had a blanket on her head and days of her life were gone.

Violet was able to determine that the land had technically been paid for, but it was agreed that those displaced should get a couple billion split between them, just in case. The lawyers and accountants were set to work.

Beyond that, the family was able to spend some time actually enjoying themselves. They had some more fun with ‘Nicole’ after everything calmed down, then Dom used the Deconfig-a-Mabob to change himself back. Body restored, Dom took Lola to Eros’ Grotto for some one-on-one time. Zoey rode every rollercoaster in the park, her all-access wristband putting her at the front of every line, dragging her husband and wife along as she laughed and shrieked.

Dave and Lorraine had a couple of dates, leaving the park to see St Lucia proper and getting to know each other. Dominick had accidentally walked in on them once, absently barging into Dave’s room with a question about the cameras. The pair were fucking on the bed, Lorraine facing the wall and moaning as Dave took her doggy style. Dom went beet red as he locked eyes with Dave. Silently, without breaking rhythm, he gave Dom a ‘two minutes’ gesture then jerked his thumb for the man to leave.

Then at last, it was time to go home.

Lorraine and Dave had a tearful goodbye at the airport—she really did like working at Bacchanal Bay, and wasn’t ready to uproot her life… yet. Dave was already planning another trip before the plane took off. By midnight, they were home in their beds again.

“I dunno, Lola, this is a big deal.” Dave looked at her, unsure.

“That’s why I want to do it. I’ve been a jerk to you—but you’re a valuable member of our team. Of our family. Besides, you awakened my inner dork-ass—you deserve a reward for that.”

“But what about Dom and Zoey? What about Violet? Hell, what about Lorraine?”

She looked him hard in the eyes. “This isn’t for them. This is for you and for me—together.”

Dave swallowed hard and was silent for a long while. “Ok Lola. If this is what you really want, I’m ready. We’ll deal with the consequences when they come.”

Lola took Dave’s hand, gently, and brought it up. “Touch it, Dave. It’s for you.”

He took hold of the lapel of Lola’s robe, feeling the material. “Wow, that’s real silk. The red really suits you—and I see that it’s not particularly long. What is it, three inches above the knee?”

“Four,” she corrected. “I’m willing to put on a robe for you—occasionally—but there are limits…”

“God forbid I make you uncomfortable, Lola.” Dave smiled at her. “Thank you, dork-ass.”

“You’re welcome, dork-ass.”