I sat in my truck, in the driveway, having neither the motivation nor the inclination to go into the house. I hadn’t even been bothered to drive into the garage. It seemed that my life was one long series of shitty events. How did that song go? ‘…every road that takes me, takes me down?’

It had seemed that things were starting to get back to normal - to get better, even. I had Mary back, I had pretty much made up with Maggie, our quartet’s various relationships with Dianna were mostly on the up, and I had begun to relax. That had been my mistake. I should never have let my guard down.

The house door opened, and Amanda emerged. She obviously knew there was something wrong because of the bond. She would have felt my mood: the sadness and loss I had felt at losing my best friend. I felt her power wrap me up in love and resisted the urge to quash it. That would only hurt her, and my anger was at myself.

There were so many things that I should and shouldn’t have done, but for all my powers, I couldn’t change the past – and I refused to trick everyone else into believing that I’d made better choices than I actually had.

Wearily, I opened the truck door and climbed out. Amanda came over and put her arm around me. She led me inside the house where the other girls were waiting, and I was enveloped in a group hug. Feelings of love washed over me from Mary and Amanda; Jules just held me.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I told you to go.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said to her. “I made the bet and pushed it. I should have known better.”

“What happened?” asked Mary. She obviously knew that I felt I had lost Sue as a friend and that I was incredibly upset about that, but not the details.

I shared the memories: everything from my meeting with George to my leaving her dorm room.

We sat; Mary and Amanda were on either side of me and, as usual, Jules curled up on my lap.

“Oh dear,” Mary said. “I am so sorry. I know how much she meant to you.”

“I just don’t understand,” I said. “One minute she was screaming like a banshee, then next…”

“You made it too good,” said Amanda.

“Wha…” I said, so amazed that I couldn’t even formulate a coherent word.

“Sue has liked you for a long time,” she explained. “Now, though, she has found herself someone for whom she has developed real feelings. Perhaps she sees a future for them. Your blowjob, I’m guessing, was meant to just ‘scratch an itch’ to put her feelings for you to bed.

“But then you went and rocked her world like that. I’m guessing she was starting to rethink her choices in life. Give her some time. Things might not be as bad as you think.”

“No,” I said. “They might be a fuck ton worse. If I have damaged the relationship between her and George…”

“You’re doing it again,” interrupted Jules. “Taking responsibility for the world’s woes. Sue invited you to her bed, and George practically frogmarched you to her. It’s not your fault that it was so fucking incredible that you blew her mind. You can’t play with a rattlesnake and then complain when you get bit.

“None of what happened is your fault. Yes, it will be sad for you to lose Sue as a friend, but the rest of it isn’t on you.”

I had no response to that, and contented myself with just planting a kiss on her forehead as she looked up at me. I loved her -  loved all of them. I needed to put things into perspective. Sue was – at least had been – a friend. The girls who surrounded me, both literally and figuratively, were my family - my life. As long as I had them, I had everything I needed.

I looked up as I heard a truck start just outside. I frowned. By the time I had untangled myself from the girls, it was way too late. My truck was gone. I looked at the empty driveway, and then back at the three girls who stood just beside me. They looked at me, waiting for my reaction, each of their faces a mask of concern as to how I would deal with the latest blow.

I laughed. It was either that or cry, and I decided I didn’t really have anything to cry about.  I was in love with three of the most beautiful, caring, wonderful girls, and, more importantly, they loved me back.

We went back into the house. As bizarre as it sounds, my truck being stolen had lightened my mood, putting my issues with Sue into an even starker perspective. I called the police and reported my truck stolen. I had to admit to leaving the key in the ignition. Fortunately, I kept my truck key, and my house keys separate. They gave me a report number for the insurance but warned me that the insurance might not pay out since I’d been negligent. For some reason, that made the whole situation even more amusing to me. I guess I had become a little hysterical.

There were no further disasters that evening. I cooked, we ate, and then we sat together for the rest of the night. We didn’t even watch television. We just sat and enjoyed each other’s company. When I went to bed, Mary came with me and held me, soothing me to sleep.

The next morning, I went for a run. I had assimilated all of the memories that James had given me with regard to martial arts training, and so had reduced my practice sessions to three times per week. The other mornings, I ran. Sometimes the twins ran with me, but it was usually too early for them. Often, I would meet up with them; they still ran, but they started much later.

That morning, however, was a training morning; the run was to keep my mind off of my various woes. James was due at six, so I was back at the house in time to get showered and changed for when he arrived. We sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee each.

“I finally got the okay to show you how to create illusions,” he said.

I perked up at the news. Our previous sessions had become a little tedious, going over old ground and sparring. It had been over a month since I had first asked him about learning how to create illusions, and I’d already assumed that permission had been denied – and that they were putting off telling me so for as long as possible.

“In a few moments,” he began, “I will share memories of the ‘how,’ but first there are a few things that you need to know.”

James spent some time telling me about the two different types of illusions: planned and immediate. Planned, he explained, were ones that were planned in advance. Jokes were perfunctorily made about clever names. It turned out that they could be prepared well ahead of time, and there were even templates that could be used as a base to construct them. They had a number of advantages over immediate illusions, one being they could be the result of a collaboration of both power-users and non-power-users.

Conversely, immediate illusions were quick and dirty, much easier to spot, and required the user generating them to share in the illusion, as they would be directing the action. The longer immediate illusions went on for, the harder it was for the user maintaining it, as multiple variables piled up. One use case for an immediate illusion would be to hide an action from someone. That would not only require the user to create the illusion, but to split their attention and carry out the action they wanted to hide. I wondered how that kind of multitasking would even work.

James added that not only was using illusions on Norms allowed, it was preferred over using Compulsion, which was still frowned upon without just cause. It was also possible to pull multiple people into an illusion, with the limiting factor being the strength of the user’s power. One thing he did remind me was that neither type of illusion would be effective against electronic surveillance such as CCTV.

“That seems like a major handicap,” I said.

James nodded. “Oh yeah. The past fifty years or so have been quite the blow for power users generally – well, if you set aside all morality, that is. I have to assume that a century ago, a powered person could have had the run of Norm society, but for running into a peer.”

“Makes you wonder about some of the powered people who lived through the transition,” I mused.

James raised an eyebrow. “Now that,” he said, “is some very interesting paranoia.”

I shook my head. “I’d rather not explode my relationship with a certain someone all over again just yet.”

“Fair enough,” he said. “Any questions about the broad strokes?”

I didn’t know where to start. It kind of all made sense to me, but I wondered how I could possibly divide my attention between an illusion and reality; it would be, almost literally, being in two places at once. The fact that one of the two places wouldn’t be real didn’t seem to matter much. I hoped that once I had seen the memories, the techniques would become clear.

“Are illusions contemporaneous,” I queried, “or can you make time pass at a different rate within them?”

“Planned illusions,” he responded, “you have pretty much free rein with. Because you are controlling the narrative, and what they remember, you could pull me into an illusion as an old man, with illusory memories of living a full life. Immediate illusions, it’s theoretically possible, but... well, no, I’m not going to stick my neck out again. If anybody could do it, it’ll probably end up being you. For the rest of us mere mortals with superpowers, it’s so difficult and prone to failure that it’s not even worth the attempt.

“Anyway, it’s a good question, because it’s actually illegal without a warrant to read someone’s mind or to Compel them to speak the truth. Sticking someone in a time-dilated or time-compressed illusion can trick them into giving up time-sensitive information without breaking any of those laws. Lots of criminals like to gloat, and if they genuinely believe they’ve already won, that temptation often becomes irresistible.

“If you drop your shields I’ll send you the memories,” he said.

I dropped my shields and took the memories. There was a lot to think about. That time, James did not pull me into an illusion. Apparently, my trash talk had gotten to him. I almost felt bad for what I was about to do.

James’s shields were pretty much transparent to me by that point. I had managed to find ways through so many times that it had become second nature. I sent a tendril through.

“Breakfast?” I asked, and he grinned.

“That’s the only reason I come here these days,” he said.

I cooked up pancakes and bacon and put a huge stack of both in the middle of the table.

We had sat down to eat when Louise wandered in. Once again, she was totally naked. James glanced up at her, but it had been a month since their first impromptu encounter, and he had almost gotten used to it. The sight of a naked twenty-year-old did have an effect on him, though.

He looked a little surprised when she sat at the table next to him and helped herself to some of the pancakes.

She turned to him. “Pass the syrup?” she asked.

Wordlessly, he handed her the bottle. She applied herself to her food as if sitting and eating breakfast in the buff was perfectly natural.

When Amanda and Mary walked in, equally naked, James’ eyes nearly fell out. Like Louise, they seated themselves at the table and began helping themselves to breakfast, chatting casually with each other after throwing good mornings in our direction.

It was when a naked Jules strolled in that he finally realized, and bugged out of the illusion.

I grinned at him as he stood, red-faced, glaring. I pretended not to notice the lump in the front of his trousers. Obviously, the sight of not one, but four naked teens had affected him, and I couldn’t blame him.

“Shall we call that payback for all the times you did it to me?” I asked.

“You know that nobody likes a smartass,” he said.

“I have been waiting for that for so long,” I said.

He laughed. “I’m going to tell Dianna that I don’t really have any more to teach you,” he said. “I can come by, and we can spar from time to time if you like, but I would suggest that you join a local dojo and learn from someone else. A different perspective is always good. I think you will be tied up soon with healing training in any case. How is your HUD coming along, by the way?”

“It’s not,” I said. “I have been playing WoW so long now that I have a level ninety character, and I still don’t see anything.”

“Try a different game,” he said. “If I remember WoW, there are a lot of things on the screen. Perhaps you can find a game where there are fewer onscreen menus. I would go for something simpler. Perhaps one of the Wolfenstein franchise? I think they have a simpler UI.”

He gave me the details of the particular game I should pick up. I thanked him, and then invited him to breakfast. I saw his eyes flicker. He was checking his tell, and that gave me an idea.

He grinned and accepted. While I was cooking, I sent a message to my girls, and they all, including Jules, agreed. Amanda said she would speak to Louise, but thought she would be up for it.

I cooked up pancakes and bacon and put a huge stack of both in the middle of the table.

We sat down to eat, and Louise wandered in. She had obviously been up for it as well, as she was totally naked. Unconcerned, she parked herself at the table and dug in.

“Pass the syrup?” she asked. That was a nice touch. I had sent the girls the memory of the illusion, and they must have told her to do that.

I saw his eyes flicker first one way, then to another, before he reached for and passed her the syrup.

We sat eating in silence for a few minutes. I could see Louise trying her hardest not to grin.

When Mary and Amanda came in, also naked, and played their own parts to perfection, I saw him once again checking his tells. I thought I had figured one out, but I was almost certain he had a backup. He probably had more than that.

I figured out his backup when Jules strutted in, naked as the day she was born. I marvelled at that. The Jules that had joined us would never have dared to do that. I felt a rush of pride – mainly for her, but also for the rest of us. We’d been good for her.

“Okay,” James said finally, “what’s going on?”

Everyone at the table cracked up.

“Not everything you see,” said Jules, strolling up to him and giving him a peck on the cheek, “is an illusion.”

James turned his glare on me. “They all agreed to do this just to wind me up?”

I nodded. I sent a mental question to Louise, and she flushed with arousal. I sent the same question to Josh, and he sent back his response.

“I agree,” she said. James looked puzzled.

“Did we get you all wound up?” I asked.

He grimaced. “Let’s say that I’m not going to be very comfortable for a while,” he said, keeping close to the table so his arousal didn’t show to the girls.

Mary, Amanda, and Jules all finished up and left to go get dressed. Louise lingered. I hit her with her Compulsion, imagining the scenario that I wished to play out, and left. Just before I got through the kitchen door, I saw Louise slipping down under the table.

James was still sitting in the kitchen when I came back twenty minutes later. I had passed Louise in the corridor, her cheeks bulging as she went to finish her mission. Josh was waiting.

“You okay?” I asked as I walked through the door.

“That was intense,” he said. “She just…”

“I know,” I said. “I Compelled her.” His eyes widened.

“I had her full consent beforehand,” I explained. “You even heard her agree, didn’t you?”

“That’s why she said that?” he asked.

“I offered, and she accepted,” I said. “Since I was responsible for your ‘condition,’ I thought it only fair I assist. I figured you would rather her do it than me?”

“You figured that right,” he said. “No offense, but you’re not my type. You have one too many penises for my liking.”

I laughed.

“What about her boyfriend, though?” he asked.

“He was in on it,” I said. “Where do you think she was going with that mouthful in such a hurry?”

“You mean he…” he started.

“Do you really want to know?” I interrupted him.

He shook his head. “What would have happened if I had said no?” he asked.

“Louise would have gone and blown Josh,” I said. “No harm, no foul. So who said you couldn’t train me? I got thirty minutes of Compulsion training from you.” I grinned at him and he shook his head.

“You are one sick puppy,” he said, “but thank you. You might have to share your memory of the lead up to that with Dianna or Maggie. I am going to have to report it - but again, thanks.”

******

I had to travel in to uni with the girls since I no longer had my own transport. I considered going and getting myself a small car, or even a bike, until the insurance was all sorted out. I had the cash, but I was loath to spend it.

When I got to university, I ran into George, or rather he was waiting for me. I didn’t know what to expect.

“Hi,” he said.

“How’s Sue?” I asked.

“She wants to talk to you,” he said. “To all of you, together.”

“You could both come around the house after uni tonight,” I said, having first taken a quick poll of the girls. He nodded. I texted him the address. “Come around six. Maybe we can have some dinner after our chat?”

He grimaced. “Let’s see how it goes,” he said. I hadn’t read anything from him. His aura just told me that he wanted our conversation to be over.

As he walked away, the university counsellor arrived.

“Caleb,” she said. “I’m glad I caught you. Do you have any free time today? I wanted a chat.”

I had some time after my first class, and I told her so. She asked me to meet her at her office then, and I agreed.

“I wonder what that is about?” I said to the girls as she walked away.

“She wants something from you,” Mary said. “I could see that much in her aura – but what, I’m not sure.”

We separated for our first classes.

+++++

I knocked on the counsellor’s door at the start of my free time.

“Come in.”

I entered. She was seated at her desk, and indicated the seat opposite. I sat.

“I’ve been hearing very good things,” she said. “Everyone who has been to see you has achieved their goals, and not a single smoker has taken up the habit again. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you,” I said, waiting for the other shoe to drop. The way my life was going, I knew there had to be another shoe.

“So are you just treating smokers and helping with weight loss?” she asked.

“So far,” I said. “If memory serves, and I would have to look to be sure, I think it’s been something like twenty-two smokers, and fourteen people who wanted to lose weight. Those are the only ones that have come to me.”

“And the weight losses?” she asked.

I knew what she was actually asking. “Poor diet and not enough exercise,” I said. “So far – touch wood,” I tapped her desk, “no eating disorders. Although the way my life is going just now, my next one will be.”

“Problems?” she asked.

“My truck got stolen last night,” I explained. “I’m just feeling sorry for myself.”

She made a commiserating face. “Sorry to hear that.” She sat and thought for a moment. “I wonder if I might...” She paused, as if not really wanting to say what she was going to say. Ultimately, she decided to bite the bullet. “Avail myself of your services.”

I guessed her problem immediately. “The nail-biting?”

She looked a little taken aback, but then she nodded. “I’ve done it since I was about fourteen,” she said. “I’m not a nervous person. I just can’t seem to stop, and it doesn’t make a very good impression. A counsellor who bites her nails. It has lost me opportunities in the past. I have tried false nails and gels and all the anti-biting medication. I have even tried hypnosis before, but had no success. You, however, seem to have a talent for it, and I was hoping you could help?”

“Okay,” I said. “When would you like to do it?”

“How about now?” she asked.

“I would need a chaperone,” I said. “I’m not comfortable with hypnotizing a lone female. There is so much opportunity for, shall we say, misunderstanding.”

She frowned. “I see your point,” she said, “but I was rather hoping we could keep this between us. How about if we record the session? I have the equipment set up, as I sometimes record my sessions with clients. I could give you a copy of the recording for your records.”

It wasn’t ideal, but I could understand her reasons. Her job revolved around trust and confidence. It wasn’t fair, but a counsellor who was outed as needing counselling – let alone hypnosis – might find herself with no appointments.

“Okay,” I replied. I booted up my computer and showed her the waiver. She read it, puzzled.

“It’s quite extensive,” she said.

“I have a lawyer in the family,” I said. “They drafted it for me.”

She pretended to read it, signed it, and then we went and sat in her therapy chairs. She started the recording, and I went through the pantomime of inducing her ‘trance.’ I got her to count backwards from one hundred. For the benefit of the recording, I told her that although she was deeply asleep, she would be able to hear me, and respond to any questions. I imagined her being able to do just that. It was a strange visual – cartoonish, to emphasize that she actually was in the kind of trance you see in the movies and on TV. That little cheat had worked in the past, so I decided to run with it.

“Tell me about when you started biting your nails,” I said to the now entranced counsellor.

I wasn’t listening at all, until I was. I had just been about to delve into her mind when she told me exactly why she bit her nails, out loud, with no hesitation or affect. I was dumbfounded, and considered my options.

I immediately revived her while going through the motions of bringing her out of her trance.

“That was quick,” she said, having glanced at the clock. She had been under less than three minutes.

“I know why you bite your nails,” I said, “and hypnosis might not be the answer. This would be one case I would possibly refer on. There is a simple solution, but I’m going to suggest that you review the tape of our session and draw your own conclusions.”

She looked at me strangely. “Will you wait while I do?” she asked.

“It might be embarrassing,” I said.

“It’s going to be embarrassing either way,” she said. “You already know what’s on that tape, so you not being here when I find out isn’t going to reduce my embarrassment at all.”

She was scarlet by the time she had reviewed the two minutes of recording.

“You think that...?” she said, trailing off, not wanting to repeat anything she’d just heard.

“I do,” I said. “I think it would be as simple as…”

“In all my years of counseling,” she said. “I have never come across this. If it weren’t me, I might suggest writing a paper.”

“It’s sexual frustration,” I said. “You were caught masturbating, and the repercussions meant that you couldn’t bring yourself to do so again. I’ll bet that you have never masturbated since.”

She shook her head, red in the face. “But I’m married,” she said.

“Then you need to tell him to up his game,” I said, “because your demand is outstripping his supply. Likely it’s work- and time-related. I don’t know any man that would turn down sex, especially…” I stopped talking before I said something I shouldn’t, but she smiled.

“Well, thanks for the confidence boost,” she said.

“I guarantee that if you settle your ‘issue,’” I said, “the nail-biting will stop. If hubby isn’t enough, then perhaps you need to buy some toys.”

“That’s another issue,” she said. “I have toys. My sister bought me one for a gag present one time. I tried to use it, but just couldn’t bring myself to do so.”

“Then maybe that’s what I should be ‘consulting’ with you on,” I said. “If we can remove your aversion, the knock-on effect will be no nail-biting. But now that you are aware of it, you should be able to overcome it yourself.”

“How would you suggest I do that?” she asked.

“If it were me, I would make using the toy part of your sex life. Get him to use it on you. Then start to use it on yourself as you do something to him, perhaps when you go down on him. Once you get used to that, then you should be able to use it on your own whether he is there or not.”

“When I…” she said hesitantly. Apparently, oral sex wasn’t part of their repertoire.

I closed my eyes a moment. “Lights on or off?” I asked.

“Off,” she said.

“How often?” I asked.

“Three or four times,” she said.

“A week?” I asked. I was damn sure it wouldn’t be a day.

“A year,” she said.

She was lucky she had any fingers left, let alone fingernails.

I sighed. “So, a young, fit, healthy woman like you, with, presumably, a normal sex drive, is getting sex four times a year if she’s lucky, and can’t even relieve herself in between those times. It’s a wonder that nail biting is your only problem.”

She sighed. “I don’t think your solution will work. I don’t think Malcolm would be amenable to introducing it into what passes for our sex life.”

“Then there are two potential solutions,” I said. “Firstly, I could remove your aversion to masturbating. That would be quick and simple and resolve the nail-biting - and probably some other issues too. However, you still have the problem of a very boring sex life. My second solution would involve me seeing you and your husband and doing something about that. Would he be up for that, do you think?”

“Could we do both?” she asked. “In that order. If I could get my aversion removed, and then work on him about the other, maybe later in the year I could convince him to speak to you?”

“Okay,” I said. “Can I ask what kind of toy it is?”

She went over to her desk, and from her drawer, pulled out a realistic, cock-shaped dildo.

“You keep it in your desk?” I asked. I tried very hard not to sound bewildered or judgmental. It was difficult.

“I can’t really take it home,” she said, blushing. “If he were to find it…”

“So, if you were to have your aversion removed,” I asked, “when would you use it?”

She thought about that a moment. “It would have to be here,” she said. “At home, I’d be worried he would find it, or catch me. At least here I can lock my door.”

I saw in this instant the temptation that could lead anyone down the path to corruption. I knew that, even without powers, I could end up fucking this woman. She was practically begging for it. I could spend the next few weeks fucking her almost every day, each day using her dildo on her to get her off. Then, as I’d suggested, I could get her to suck me off while using it on herself.

I was sorely tempted to shake my head or even smack myself. She was married. I was ashamed for even having thought about it.

“If that’s what you want to do,” I said, “I can remove your aversion to masturbation, and then you can work on your husband to get him to see me. How much more free time do you have?”

“I’m free until lunch,” she said. “Do you think it will take that long?”

“No, removing the block will be quick,” I said, “but I’m guessing you are going to need some ‘me time’ once I do.”

“You think I’ll...?” she started.

“Almost certainly,” I said, “and probably more than once.”

She shifted in her seat. I would have bet dollars to donuts she was sitting in a wet spot.

We started the recording up again, and I repeated the pantomime of inducing the ‘trance.’ This time, I flat-out put her to sleep, as I had with my other clients. Rather selfishly, I didn’t want her blurting out anything else that might complicate the situation or break my concentration.

Verbally, I talked her through removing her block, getting her to hold the dildo in her hands and get used to the feel of it. I didn’t have her do anything more than that though. With that meaningless exercise as a cover, I delved into her mind and located the event that had caused all her trauma. She had been caught by her mother, and had been beaten and ridiculed. For weeks after that, she’d been ridiculed by her whole family.

I paused for a moment and thought about how I might frame the Compulsion. To my surprise, I found myself hearkening back to the dream I’d had after having dumped all of Harold Bleasdale’s memories into my mind. I felt like there was potential there. I uttered some more drivel out loud to buy some more time, and then began to imagine a dreamlike story for Jamie.

I imagined her – the adult her – watching that memory on a screen. At first, it made her terribly uncomfortable, but then I introduced another version of her – almost identical, but with the carriage of a professor or a therapist, ironically – guiding Present Day Jamie through the viewing process, over and over again, encouraging active engagement. She needed to know that her mother and her family had been wrong and cruel, and that she was no longer a prisoner to that cruelty. To cap it off, I sent the pair of them through the projection screen and let them pluck the younger Jamie from the memory. The three of them talked, cried, raged, hugged, and finally made peace with their past. I tossed in some Good Will Hunting and some Vagina Monologues for good measure. I didn’t really care about plagiarism. I was quite proud of the idea to use different versions of her to help me help herself. I felt like it would engender self-possession and self-confidence, which she would certainly need when she began trying to talk to her husband.

There was one more scene after that, but it was rather salacious – and, I imagine, rather obvious. It cemented the idea that she could finally be comfortable taking care of her own needs, as long as she was in a situation where it was more broadly appropriate to do so. It was a fine line, honestly, since I was still a little surprised that she’d been considering masturbating in her office at work.

Jamie  ‘woke up’ holding the dildo, and looked up at me sharply.

“I’ll wait while you review the tape,” I said.

She watched the tape and relaxed. “It makes sense to get me used to it,” she said. “Before, even holding it made me feel uncomfortable.”

“Why didn’t you throw it away then?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “That didn’t occur to me. It was a gift.”

I suspected that Jamie’s mother had given her more than a phobia of masturbation, but I said nothing.

“Right,” I said. “I’ll leave you to your free time. Just remember that a locked door isn’t soundproof.”

“Wait,” she said. “Let me copy those video files for you before you go.”

They were large files, and as she sat at her desk, waiting for them to copy, her hand fell into her lap.

I noticed that it was moving rhythmically under her desk and her eyes had started to glaze.

“Jamie?” I asked, knowing full well what she was doing. I was surprised that she would do that with me in the room. I’d thought that I’d done all right in emphasizing social boundaries during the stage-play I’d put her through. I supposed she felt safe and secure around me, though I wondered just how appropriate it was to masturbate in front of a student when one was a university employee.  She leaned back in her chair, working her skirt up as she began to massage herself more firmly. She let out a little moan. I couldn’t see what her hand was doing from my position on the chair, and I wasn’t about to move. I began to suspect that her need was so great that she was ‘lawyering’ the borders of my Compulsion.

“Bring it over,” she said breathlessly. “Please.”

I picked up the dildo and walked around her desk. She swiveled her chair to reveal her skirt rucked up around her waist, and her plain white panties, now soaked, pulled to the side. Like Sue, she wasn’t shaved, so her pussy was hidden in a lush growth, but her fingers had found a way through and were apparently giving a good account of themselves.

I handed her the dildo and she immediately went to push it in herself.

“Not dry,” I said. “You need to lubricate it or you’ll hurt yourself.”

“I don’t have any lube,” she said. “Not here.”

“Spit will do in a pinch,” I said, “but you’ll need a lot.”

Continuing to worry at her pussy with one hand, she brought the dildo to her mouth and began to lick it, coating it in her saliva. That image was incredibly erotic, and I had to step back, holding my laptop in front of myself.

She continued to lick for a few more minutes until it was utterly drenched, then returned it to her pussy. I guessed that her fingers had done most of the work, because the minute she began to push the six inches of veined, flesh-colored, semi-realistic plastic into herself, she came.

She squeaked, remembering that she needed to be quiet, and her eyes bulged as her body convulsed. She wasn’t a squirter, but there was one hell of a wet spot on her chair by the time she came down.

When she regained her senses,  she blushed scarlet again.

“Did you?” she started, but then stopped herself. “No, you didn’t, I saw the tapes. That was all me. I am so sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” I said. “You have a lot of making up to do. I’m quite touched that you felt safe enough in my presence that you could do that. I think we can safely say I removed your aversion, yes?”

She laughed. “I think so,” she said. “The files have been copied. I’ll let you retrieve your thumb drive. My hands are a little sticky.”

I went into her bathroom and grabbed some paper towels, handing them to her as I retrieved my drive.

“Oh my,” she said. “Did I do that?”

She had seen the lump at the front of my trousers.

“You did,” I said, “but don’t worry about it.”

“I am so sorry,” she said. “That was so inappropriate.”

“It’s fine,” I said. “I’m sure some of your sessions have become heated. I guess it’s par for the course. The waiver you signed, if you had read it, also assures you of complete confidentiality - with those caveats we talked about before, of course, but I don’t think any of them apply here.”

“You don’t think I’m a danger to myself?” she asked. She was playing coy, but I still detected some real vulnerability behind it.

“As long as you remember the lube, no,” I joked. “No nine-one-one calls today. Oh, and, speaking of not needing to call an ambulance: if you get curious about the back door, get a toy with a flared base, or something much longer. Once everything’s in there, it can be hell to get it back out.”

She blushed fiercely again, but I saw a few streaks of purple flare into her aura at the thought. “Thank you,” she said. “Let me get you your fee.”

I laughed. “Shall we call this a professional courtesy?” I offered. “Since you now know firsthand what I can do, perhaps you might push some business my way?”

“Definitely,” she said. “I am also thinking there may be occasions where I might want your help in drawing out information from people who have some mental blocks. Hypnosis is used effectively in many cases. I’m no good at it; I’ve tried, and the local ‘practitioners’ are all quacks. That’s why I was a little dismissive of you at first, so I apologize for that too.”

I saw that her hand was drifting again, so I decided to make my escape. I closed her office door behind me and used a tiny amount of TK to engage the lock. I didn’t want anyone walking in on her. I suspected she would be busy until lunchtime.

When lunchtime arrived for me, I caught up with my girls and we queued for food.

“What did the counselor want?” asked Amanda.

“A consult,” I said.

“For what?” she said.

“That’s not fair to ask,” said Jules. “He promises confidentiality to his clients. That includes us too.”

I smiled at Jules. I had been wondering how to say the same thing without offending them. Amanda pouted, but didn’t argue.

“By the way, all of you, you were awesome this morning. James didn’t know what hit him.”

Amanda grinned. “That was so much fun.”

“His face was a picture,” said Jules. “It was so funny.”

“I loved that you felt secure enough to do it,” I said to Jules.

We ate lunch and chatted about the usual everything and nothing, and then went to our afternoon classes. Midway through the afternoon, I got a text from Dianna.

­_What time will you be home?

_Usual time, about four-thirty.

_I need to stop by and see you if that’s ok.

_anything wrong?

_not really. Just need to see your memories from this morning. Maggie asked me to check.

_Okay. See you then.

James had warned me, so I wasn’t concerned. I’d also had an idea about how I could practice my illusions that involved Josh and Louise, and I wanted to run it by her.

It was a little irritating having to wait for the girls since I would normally just drive home when I was done, but we arrived home together a little after four-forty. Dianna was sitting outside in her car. She followed us into the house.

“Other than the blowjob,” she asked, “what did you do to James this morning? He wouldn’t tell us. He just said that you had Compelled Louise to go down on him, but said she consented.”

I sent her my memories from the moment James had arrived to the moment he left. Her eyes glazed for a moment. She looked startled, and then she burst out laughing.

“That was brilliant,” she said. “You got him good. I also saw the conversation with Louise and Josh and their agreement, so that’s fine too. He is not going to live that one down for a while.”

I explained my idea for using illusion on Josh and Louise. Dianna frowned a little as she considered it.

“I would say it was a terrible, revolting, disgusting idea,” she said, “if it weren’t for the fact that I know that pair. You will have to keep a very close eye on them, and end it if either of them shows any signs of distress.”

I nodded.

She stood up. “That’s all I needed, so I’ll disappear and let you get on with your evening.”

She hugged Amanda and Mary. As she turned to leave, she came face to face with Jules. They looked at each other for a moment, but then Jules moved toward her tentatively. Dianna gathered the younger girl into her arms and held her close.

“Thank you,” she said to the top of her head. She released her and wiped her eyes before she said goodnight once more and left.

Both Mary and Amanda enveloped Jules in a hug, swamping her with love and gratitude.

For the next hour, I was like a cat on a hot tin roof. I couldn’t settle to anything. I bought and started to download Wolfenstein, but then realized that that was going to take a while. I had some reading to do, but as soon as I opened the book, I was on my feet again, pacing. Finally, Jules sat me down and curled up in my lap to keep me still.

Six o’clock eventually came, and with it, the knock on the door. Amanda went to answer it. I would have gotten up as they came in, but Jules was still in my lap and wouldn’t move.

“The first words out of your mouth better be an apology,” Mary spat at Sue as she walked through the door.

Sue staggered as if she had been slapped.

Amanda followed up. “If any girl you knew had been invited to a guy’s bed,” she snarled, “and he had fucked her and then kicked her out, you would be calling him every name under the sun. Why is what you did any different?”

Sue looked at her, stunned. I was stunned too. I had never heard Amanda have a cross word for anyone.

Jules delivered the coup-de-grace. “You were supposed to be his friend,” she said. “His best friend. What kind of friend treats someone like that?”

Sue burst into tears, and George was bristling. He wanted to protect his woman, but there wasn’t anything he could do. He wasn’t about to get physical with the girls, and I think he knew that they were right.

“Caleb,” sobbed Sue, “I am sorry, truly. If you want me to leave, then I will. But I came here to explain. I owe you that much at least.”

I nudged Jules, and she finally allowed me up. I went over to Sue and held out my hand, leading her to the couch, and indicated for her to take a seat. I waved George over too, and he sat beside her.

“You get yourself together,” I said. “I’ll make some coffee.”

By the time I came back with a tray, Sue had gathered herself. I handed her her drink, and she sat, holding it in her hands, staring into it.

“All my life,” she said in a low voice, “I’ve been fat. For as long as I can remember, I have been taunted, teased, and called names. I tried to pretend it didn’t matter - that the taunts didn’t hurt. I put on a brave face and brazened it out, biting back and learning how to use my wit as a defense. All through school, and even when I got to university.

“Don’t get me wrong; people weren’t as direct at university. They didn’t call me names like at school - at least not many. Those that did got shut down by their P.C. peers even before I could bite back. But that didn’t stop the looks, the sneers, the snide comments, and the whispers. Hell, the P.C. crowd was even part of it.

“Then I met you. You looked at me as a person. I even saw something that looked very much like attraction in your eyes when you looked at me. It didn’t matter that I was fat, brash, and loud-mouthed. You weren’t afraid to be seen with me, to sit down at dinner with me. You spoke to me as a person. I was able to open up to you, and you opened up to me.

“At first, when you told me about your sexuality, I was confused, and I’ll admit a little appalled. I was even disgusted at myself for being attracted to a man who was himself attracted to men. Everything I had been brought up to believe told me that I should stay away from you, but I didn’t. I got to know you even better, and I realized that the reason you could be attracted to men wasn’t about their gender. It was about something else, and that something was the reason that I had seen the attraction in your eyes when you looked at me.

“You didn’t care about the shell - the body; you cared about what was inside - the person. You cared about me. I was scared, I’ll admit, and when I’m scared I do stupid things. I rely on what served me well throughout my life. I should have asked you out; I don’t know why I didn’t. I guess I thought since you hadn’t asked me that you weren’t that interested. I bluffed, offering to take your ‘V,’ being brash as a defense, but hoping against hope that you would take me up on it... but you never did.

“And then I met George. Like you, he wasn’t troubled by my weight. He looked at me with hunger in his eyes, and he asked. Then, after your party, you went away and came back toting two hotties. I heard that you were in a three-way relationship, and the very next time I saw you, you had Jules’ tongue down your throat. That settled it. I knew that there would be no chance for you and I, and at the same time, George and I were building something.

“It was still very new then, and no, George, I’m not settling for you. I do love you, and want to see where our lives go together.” He put his hand on her knee to comfort her. “I just had this ‘itch,’ I suppose you could call it. I needed to, just once, prove to myself that you weren’t the one for me, and that George was.

“The bet was a setup. I knew that if you said you could do it, then it was as good as done. I have never seen you lie to anyone. Even when you brought Jules in, and I challenged you about what you were doing, you didn’t lie to me. You had to get Jules to tell me the story, even though it wasn’t actually a lie. It was close enough to deception that you couldn’t do it.

“Just once, I wanted to have you. I’d intended to fuck you that night. I thought I’d start with a blowjob and get you all worked up, and before you knew it, I’d have you inside me. We’d had some pretty personal conversations by that time, so I knew roughly how big you were. I knew George was much bigger. I figured I’d have some fun, and be satisfied I had the better end of the deal.

“But you, being you, can’t be selfish. You couldn’t just lie there and accept a blowjob. You had to give something back. Again, I figured I’d get you worked up and then flip you. Everything was going to plan, and then you just blew my fucking mind.”

“Even now, I have no idea what you did to me, but you gave me the most intense orgasm I have ever had. You won’t know this, but up to that point, I’d never swallowed cum. I’d take it in my mouth but always spat, joking to the guy that it was fattening. But when you blew in my mouth I drank it down like mother’s milk and loved every drop.

“When it was over, and you asked me if I was okay, I was stunned, confused, completely out of my mind. My plan was in ruins, my boyfriend had just witnessed me do something I wouldn’t do for him, and you had almost literally turned me inside out. I wanted to run away and hide, but there was nowhere for me to go. We were in my room. I did the next worst thing. I told you to go. Your girlfriend was right. Had I heard of a guy doing that to a girl I would have burned him the fuck down,  but I did it to you, to my best friend.

“I love George, I really do. I think we have a future together if he can ever forgive me for what I just said, and what I am about to say. But I love you too, Caleb. I know you and I can never be together. You are not a one-woman man, and I don’t think I could live the poly lifestyle - especially as I suspect that there may be other men in your sex life as well. I’m not judging; I’m just saying I couldn’t be a permanent part of that relationship. But I still want to be a part of your life, still want to be your friend, and...” She looked at George as she finished. “I’m sorry George, but I still need Caleb to occasionally make me feel like he did last night.”

I looked at George. He looked at Sue with such love and devotion; it almost broke my heart. He had said that she could fuck the entire football team as long as she came back to him. I wondered if he had ever told her that.

“George?” I said to him softly, and he looked at me.

“I think that you and Sue need to talk,” I said. “Tell her what you told me, if that’s really the way you feel. We’ll give you some space.”

I led my girls out onto the deck. We sat down and I looked at Amanda.

“You were spot on,” I said. “How did I not see it before with her?”

“Because you weren’t looking,” Mary said. “You found a friend, and you weren’t looking for a lover - not yet. By the time you were, everything had changed.”

The kitchen door opened and Sue came out. George followed.

I looked up at them. “You guys okay?” I asked.

Sue shook her head. “It’s a good thing you have these three vixens looking out for you,” she said. “I treat you like shit, and your first thought is for us. You’re too nice, Caleb Stott.”

George spoke up. “What I said to you yesterday, Caleb, I meant. I would do anything to make her happy. If she needs to be with you once in a while then I’m good with that. She needs it. But I get that what we did was cruel and hurtful.”

“You did nothing wrong, George,” I said. “You were looking out for your girl, giving her what she needed. I understand and respect that. It was Sue that hurt me. I could, I suppose, take some of the blame for being too good of a lover, but that might sound a little conceited.” There were muted chuckles at that.

“It was Sue who invited me to her bed, and then kicked me out again.” I stood up and faced her.

“Caleb,” she said, “I’m…”

I punched her lightly in the shoulder. “Shush,” I said. “Friends forgive.”

She flung her arms around me and clung to me, sobbing into my chest. I held her until she’d gotten most of it out of her system.

“I’m going to cook us some dinner.” I said. “You hungry?”

She looked up at me, her hazel eyes still liquid. “You cook too?” she asked.

I grinned. “You regretting your choices again?”

That got a watery smile. I passed her off to George and went into the kitchen.

Josh and Louise joined us for dinner, and for the very first time, our table was full. After a somewhat subdued start, people warmed up. By the time the meal was over, we were all chatting happily like the friends we were.

After dinner, I ‘asked’ Josh and Louise if they would give us some time. I promised them I had something special for them, but tonight was not their night. They nodded, bade us all goodnight, and vacated to their room.

Jules also said she had some project work to be getting on with and went to her workshop. That left Sue, George, me, and the twins.

Sue was getting aroused. I could see it in her aura. Georges’ aura projected mostly love, but a little fear. I think he was still a little scared that I would tempt Sue away.

George read Sue’s signs and stood up.

“I think it’s time I…”

“Sit down George,” I said.

“But..”

“Sit.”

He sat.

“Sue,” I said. “You and George are a couple, yes?”

She nodded.

“So you need to do things as a couple,” I told her. “George was about to leave here, knowing in his mind that his girl was going to sleep with another guy. That’s not fair. If you get to share, it’s only fair that he gets to share too.”

“But I’m not into…” he started, and I laughed.

“Not me, musclehead,” I said. “Them.”

I indicated the twins, who both smiled at him.

Sue looked from me to George to the twins.

“They?” she began.

“They will take good care of him,” I said.

“And you’re okay with that?” she asked.

“Six months ago, I wouldn’t have been,” I said. “I had to grow up, and those two wonderful women over there, plus a few others, helped me to do just that.”

Sue’s eyes dropped.

“The question is,” I said, “are you okay with it? Or would the thought of your man with those two bother you?”

“You bastard,” she said quietly. “You’ve turned it all around.”

“No, Sue,” I said, “I just leveled the field. George loves you. I love you. I know that after a while, if you and I slept together, and George was left out, the guilt would eat at you. That wouldn’t be good for your relationship. He’s not your cuck. He’s a man who deserves respect, and if you get to play, it’s only fair that he does too. If we all play together, I’ll respect George’s boundaries and the girls will respect yours, although I suspect you are less rigid about that than he probably is.”

Her eyes widened. “They…”

“They like to play with girls too.” I said, “just as I like to play with boys. But as I said, we will respect your boundaries.” 

Sue looked at George. “What do you think?” she asked.

He looked at her. I could see he was trying to gauge what answer she wanted from him.

“That’s not a fair question,” I said. “I can see him trying to guess what would make you happy. He loves you. This is a decision that you have to make.”

“I can’t,” she said. “I really can’t.”

“Can’t what?” I asked. “Make a decision, or allow George to play with the twins?”

“I can’t stand the thought of him with someone else,” she said. “Part of the reason I was so upset last night was that I saw him with Brenda. You kind of overwhelmed me, but just after I came, I looked across and saw them. They were sitting on her bed, naked. He had cum all over him and I knew how it had got there. That was part of the reason - a small part, but part of the reason I was so upset.”

“Then if you can’t,” I said. “Then we can’t.”

“Caleb I don’t …” George said but I shook my head at him.

“No George,” I said. “It’s not right, and in her heart, Sue knows that. Don’t you?”

She nodded, tears now dripping from her eyes.

“Eventually it would destroy what you have together,” I said, “and I won’t be the cause of that.”

Sue looked up at me, her eyes pleading.

“But what about…”

“I can help with that,” I said, “but you need to trust me. Will you do that?”

She nodded.

I got her to count backwards from one hundred. She made it all the way to eighty-four before she was in her ‘trance.’

I considered for a moment how to achieve my objectives. I began by imagining Sue giving a faceless man a blowjob. I imagined seeing their auras flush with the palette of love – a strong, swirling, pulsing combination of lust, compassion, loyalty, genuine interest, and trust. I even pictured their two auras flirting with each other, in a way. They never actually intermingled, but they constantly, teasingly threatened to. 

I saw her, his cock deep in her throat, gazing lovingly into his eyes. I saw him holding her head and stroking her hair, his aura reflecting that love since he lacked the eyes to return the gaze   When he came, she swallowed everything he gave her, and not only enjoyed the flavour, but came as she drank it down. Over and over, I imagined this to fix it, and then, as James had shown me, I locked it so that I wouldn’t have to refresh it later.

Next, the faceless man was returning the favour. Again, the only defining feature of the man was his love for her. Both of their auras throbbed pink, almost in communion. Sue was writhing in ecstasy, cumming over and over again as he ate her. I repeated and locked that too.

Then he was on top of her,  pounding deeply, surrounded by the rich color of love. Every fourth or fifth stroke resulted in a minor orgasm for her, and when he filled her full of his cum, once again her world was rocked. I envisioned the same scenario with the pair of them in different positions: missionary, cowgirl, and doggy. Each time, her final orgasm - triggered when he shot his seed into her - was legendary. I repeated that too, though for a few of them I had him withdraw and coat her face, breasts, and other body parts. I figured it would be unfair to deny her her best and final orgasm if George, or some future lover, had a particular kink. I locked it up as a package, and once again felt the ineffable click.

Finally, I imagined a slow, sensual scene of lovemaking, where her lover spent time gently preparing her, opening her up, and using copious amounts of lube before fucking her ass. From his initial penetration until he finally shot inside her, she would build quickly to the very brink of orgasm, but hold there until, when he emptied himself inside her, she would come as hard as she had ever come in her life. Again, I imagined the scene in multiple positions, wanting to both fix the Compulsion and also mitigate the risk that it would be taken too literally. If there was anything I was still not confident about, it was that: how to envision broader, vaguer, more sweeping commands and alterations.. I did the best I could, and hoped for the best in turn. Once I’d put the imaginary pair through their paces, I locked it up.

I wished I could have used George instead of a faceless love, but I’d known from the start that that would’ve been a fool’s hope. I worried for the damage already done, and wasn’t entirely sure they were truly compatible. I did, however, want Sue’s monogamous ecstasy to be shared with someone she loved, and who loved her in return. I wasn’t trying to turn her into some sex-craving slut.

George watched as I told her that when she gave him oral, the feeling of him coming in her mouth would give her a great orgasm, and that swallowing his delicious-tasting cum would prolong it. I told her that when he fucked her, she would come repeatedly as they fucked, and that when he came, either inside or on her, the feeling would be as good as when I had eaten her out. I also told her that if she took it slow and used lots of lube, anal sex would give her the best orgasms that she had ever experienced in her entire life. I warned her that all of those conditions would only apply to a man she was in a loving relationship with. If she were to ever break up with George and find someone new, they would apply to her new partner instead – but only if they truly loved each other.

When I was done, I woke her up.

George sat wide-eyed, looking at me, and then at Sue, back and forth, over and over.

“Sue,” I said, “I love you, but you and I can’t be lovers. You need to take George home and make love to him. Let him show you how a man who truly loves you can make you feel.”

“But…” she said.

“Let’s talk tomorrow,” I said.

Sue got up and went to the door. George followed.

“Be good to her,” I said. “She does love you. She just got confused.”

George looked at me, and didn’t know what to say, or even think. Even after Sue’s weight-loss journey, I don’t think he believed. To him, perhaps, it seemed too good to be true. I hoped he could get over it when he discovered that it wasn’t.

They left, and I sat down on the sofa with a sigh. Mary and Amanda took up station on either side, and I felt Amanda send a nudge to Jules. She didn’t exactly run in, but she was in my lap in record time.

“Are you okay?” Mary asked me.

“Disappointed, I guess,” I said.

“That you didn’t get to sleep with Sue?” asked Amanda.

I shook my head. “Disappointed in Sue,” I said. “I thought better of her than that. She wanted to cuckold George with me, but she couldn’t stand the thought of him being with you guys. If their relationship lasts, it will be because he puts up with her selfishness. He may well do; he loves her so much. But that may erode over time. I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think they will last.”

“At least,” said Mary pragmatically, “they’ll get some amazing sex first.”

Jules looked up at me. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“What for?” I asked, puzzled.

“Because when it all comes out,” she answered, “you still lost your best friend.”

“Yes and no,” I said. “Sue will still be a friend. Not my best friend anymore, but still a friend. But it wasn’t what happened here that changed that. People change, and Sue and I just drifted apart. I have three gorgeous new best friends right here.

“All our lives,” I continued, “people will drift in and out of our circle, become friends - possibly even best friends - and then drift away again. That’s life. It was just her time.”

I heard a ‘ding’ from my laptop. My Wolfenstein download was finished.

“Nicely timed,” I said. “Right now, I feel like indulging in some gratuitous violence.”

“Eh, I’m not really in the mood,” said Mary. “Try Louise and Josh?”

She, Amanda, and Jules held their poker faces for a very long time. For all that, Mary stuck her butt out for me as she left me to my session, letting me get in one good swat. After that, Amanda demanded the same treatment, and let out a comically exaggerated moan when my palm made contact. Jules just stuck out her tongue and scurried away.