I don’t know, Noah and I were in his library talking about some paper or other I was roughing out, I guess Allie walked in? And she stopped at the couch, like, hesitant. Not that she minded anybody seeing her naked, it probably just surprised her I was around. I mean,— when you think he’d brought her that far already. How long could it have been they’d been together, a month? Cuz she was shy by nature, she had that modesty about her. She wasn’t carefree naked— she didn’t exhibit herself, it was more like, she’d just sorta lost track of the idea that clothes were an option for her.

But, yeah. Under his breath he said to me, “Do you want to see something?” He looked shifty-eyed. I wonder if it just kinda slipped out, like he didn’t fully intend it. Though when did Noah ever not fully intend something? And then he pointed over at the couch and snapped his fingers and said “Present.”

She was actually at the side table behind the couch, so she had to go around. And, I mean, it was like watching a small impromptu ballet. One single movement, she just flowed through it. It had to have been programmed, it had to be all muscle memory. Face down, back arched, hands clasping her thighs. It was a wide enough couch that you knew she meant to spread her legs.

And now Noah was looking square at me. He said, “Hey Allie, tell Miss Nicki”—I remember he had a kind of bravado when he called me that—“tell Miss Nicki about the pose you’re in.”

She said, “This Pose is Grovel Two, Miss Nicki. This is my default Present Pose.” You know, that was probably more connected words than she’d ever said to me before. It was funny, that spacey undergrad monotone coming out half-muffled from the couch cushions. I don’t imagine she thought about it.

And then he was like, “Tell her what’s your favorite pastime now.” “My favorite pastime in the world is Pose training, Miss Nicki.”

In retrospect, he was maybe laying it on a little thick. But I swear I was having trouble catching my breath. The automatic way she answered him. I wanted not to be as thrilled by it as I was. “Oh and hey Allie,—” again, like he was asking Siri—“what does grovel pose do to you?”

She said—it was obviously something she had by rote, she said, “Grovel Pose makes my pussy instantly wet and desperate to be used, Master.” And God, no matter how uninflected her voice was, you knew she was telling the truth.

There was some sort of internal jump I got when “Master” slipped out, like an extra heartbeat. He had this wild gleam in his eye. I could see it then, that he knew he had me. The ride was on and that jump we me giving up my chance to say no.

“Hey Allie.” And she fucking groaned this time. Like she was too horny to even speak. He said, “Give Miss Nicki free-use consent.”

She made this odd, fluttery, yearning sort of a sigh. I can still hear it. “Miss Nicki with my Master’s approval I give you the freedom of my body and prior consent for any and all sexual use you wish to make of me.” All in one breath.

I don’t know how long that look between Noah and me lasted. I don’t know what he could have gotten me to do. Finally he winked and said, “It’s a game we play.” She had some body-autonomy issues he was mentoring her through or something. He said, “It is the first time she’s granted free use to anyone who wasn’t imaginary though.”

After that I made some excuses and left. I did not tell my girlfriend why I fucked her so hard that night.