You’d think Theo would be dead tired this morning, but he work up before dawn and couldn’t sleep, his mind turning over the events of last night. “Dear lord,” he muttered, wearily running his hands through his hair. “That woman!!” The most fiery, devious, inventive, sexy-as-hell woman he’d ever been with, by far! He couldn’t seem to get enough of her! She’d gotten him off three times that night, and took her time about it, too. Drew it out, in the most agonizingly thrilling way, with plenty of climaxes of her own. A three-hour romp, with hardly a dull moment in between. And the insatiable woman had suggested they meet up again tonight, too!
Rising from bed brought more aches than just from yesterday evening, though. Lola had worked him so damned hard. If she called today, he’d stand up to her and tell her ‘No freaking way!’ Or … well, he’d better work out now in case he needed a better excuse. Surely even she would let him off easy then!
He ate breakfast and headed downstairs. He didn’t need Lola to help push him to the limit -- he could do that himself. He could! With a big head of steam, he crossed the basement and … Ugh. He almost skipped today’s shrinking dose, but he manned up and gulped it down. Then all he did was bend down to stretch, and the dose was already kicking in. Hell, it really was spontaneous now. At least today he only lost an inch, and five pounds.
Well, being five foot three did not make him a wimp! He steeled himself and got underway.
* * *
Jen woke with a start, finding the cabin in near-total darkness. It was early; the sun had not yet reached the horizon. She tested her limbs. They complained some, but not nearly as much as she’d have thought. Supposedly, EGAD -- and Apo-Amplifier -- make women’s muscles recuperate faster, the bigger they get. Better health, too; stronger immune systems; … it seemed to make women better on all fronts.
Which was good, because the physical toll she’d taken here would have likely wiped her out for the rest of the week, otherwise! Tuesday had been only the beginning. Yesterday was insane. She must have done something right in Bridgette’s eyes, because now the woman included her in everything. Grueling tasks like chopping firewood and hauling buckets of water were what Bridgette did to relax! The rest of the time, her life seemed like a non-stop decathlon. For her, nothing was too strenuous, nothing too big a challenge.
And the crazy, nutso thing about it was: Jen actually liked it! Once you push through the intense fatigue, harder than you thought you could, it could become almost invigorating. In some ways, almost fun! And way more rewarding.
Bridgette was already up, of course. Probably off stalking a mountain lion or wrestling a bear or lord only knows. Tuesday, and even part of yesterday, Jen had felt like a little puppy, waiting at Bridgette’s command and doing whatever she says. Today felt … different. It was as if she’d already grown taller, stronger, more confident within her own mind. Today’s Apo-Amplifier would merely catch her body up to her own self-image.
She popped the cork and drank the fluid almost greedily. Wow -- so she really didn’t need to do anything now, for it to kick in. It started all on its own: the warm tingling spreading, the energy pulsing through her veins, the expansion of her everything from head to toe! Even her tiredness seemed to wilt away in the face of new, raw potential…
“Fuck yes!!” Jen burst out of the cabin in total determination. No time to waste! She’d wait for no one -- not Bridgette, not Dad, not anyone else. She’d make her own decisions now; she was her own woman! Sore or not, she started her workout and held nothing back.
…
* * Hearts on fire ...* *
* * Strong desire … Rages deep within * *
* * Hearts on fire … Fever’s risin’ high * *
* * The moment of truth is here * *
* * Oh! Oh yeah! * *
* * (Music) * *
* * Dum DuDuDum DuDum DuDum * *
“DRAGO!!!”
* * *
The afternoon sun was well down from its peak as Jen raced through the underbrush. Bridgette could have blitzed past her anytime she pleased, but for once she was content to hang back and allow Jen to lead the way. Jen was moving faster than she had on Tuesday, though, and this morning’s dose of Apo-Amplifier was only part of it. ‘Never fear your next step,’ Bridgette had taught her. ‘Make the leap, and trust yourself to land right.’ Now the less-timid Jen hurdled over fallen logs without stopping to look first; she leapt from one river rock to the next without waiting to catch her balance. Occasional stumbles, but never a fall. Things weren’t always as scary as they seemed, if you meet them head-on!
At last the dirt road was in view, and still Jen’s tired legs drove onward. Not till her shoes had reached gravel did she double over, sucking in air.
Heavy footsteps came up behind, then a hearty slap on Jen’s back. “Come,” said her mentor -- with, what was that, a flicker of pride? “Alice is waiting.” Yes, to Bridgette, being exhausted was almost a badge of honor; a sign of how hard one tried. Her voice had taken that tone a lot, these last two days.
Jen picked herself up and the two of them approached the gate, side by side. “You will do well,” said the blonde warrior, breaking the silence once again.
Jen smirked. “You didn’t say I’ll win.”
“What does that have to do with it?” She flashed a rare smile in return. It wasn’t about winning; not to Bridgette. Trying one’s best; reaching one’s own potential -- that’s all that mattered to her. If that happened to result in a win, then all the better. Jen couldn’t pretend she herself was nearly so selfless … but it was definitely something to be admired.
“Perhaps we will meet in the finals,” Bridgette mused nonetheless, stroking her chin. “And test our wills again.”
The thought gave Jen chills. “I’d like that,” she admitted, as daunting as the prospect seemed.
Bridgette stopped at the gate. The two of them exchanged a simple nod -- all the farewell they needed -- and Jen continued onward to Alice’s car.
“It went well,” Alice gathered, with some surprise, after reading their expressions.
“Yes, it did,” said Jen.
A look of satisfaction stuck on Alice’s face as the teen gave not a single dour whine or frown the whole drive back. No more pouting, at least for the time being. Even better than Alice could have hoped! Bridgette was not one to accept others easily. Jen must have made quite an impression indeed.
Perhaps it was time to bring the girl and her father together again; maybe they were no longer a powder keg ready to blow. Well … safer to wait and put Theo in his best possible mood first, as she’d planned. “We’ll head back to my place?” Alice queried. “And later tonight I might drive you home?”
Jen’s brow knitted but she only slightly frowned. “Sure,” she conceded, with just a little pause.
Excellent.
* * *
Theo’s eyes got wide as saucers as Alice, clad in breathtaking dominatrix attire, turned the hot poker in the fire, inspecting it through the flicker glow. They were in one of many areas on the upper floor of Veronica’s; this one was styled like a medieval dungeon, with chains and shackles on the stone walls and various devices of which he could only guess their purpose. The fire, though, with metal pokers sticking in it, was obvious.
Alice laughed at his trembles and his futile attempts to break his chains. She had him tied up on a St. Andrew’s cross – a personal favorite of hers. And a good call, she thought, to strip him down to his boxer briefs first. All the more effective, as she extracted the glowing red poker and let it dance inches above his chest.
“Holy--!” her adorable date blurted, squirming and staring at the poker like crazy. “Alice!! Y-You’re not actually--!!”
“Relaaaax, Theo. It’s not a real fire; it’s only electric! And, see, the poker just lights up for show.”
True, but… “I see steam coming off it!”
“Tsk… it’s kept at a reasonable heat, darling. Not enough to burn.”
“Oh. Um, well--” The poker plunged into his left side … and a moment later: “Aiyeee!!! Holy--!” He bucked and swayed and tried to avoid it, but she pressed it again. “Hot!!” he yelped, as the poker slid down his stomach, setting cascades of neurons firing in its wake. “Holy FRACK, that’s hot!!”
“Well, that’s the point, tiny man!” teased his seductress. “Save your voice, though. I haven’t reached the most sensitive regions yet.”
His reaction was priceless. “Oh HELL no!!” His eyes got wider and his flailing got worse the closer the poker got to his waistline. “Oh, come on – PLEASE!!”
“Hmm, I would stop,” she lilted, “but I think you might actually be enjoying this.” She drove the rod harder into his gut, just above the pelvic bone, and twirled it around.
Sweet Mary and Joseph! “I do not!!”
“Don’t you, though?”
The damned thing just wouldn’t cool down! “Aghh!!”
“Come on, now. You love it when I have power over you. Don’t you, you little--”
*BaDoop!*
She turned and, of all things, went to check her phone! God, but she may be right about him: he was almost disappointed when the poker withdrew!
“That’s--!” he said haggardly. “You don’t… You don’t have to—“
“Oh, hush, hon. You know you get no say.”
Indeed he didn’t. But… “Who is it?”
Alice paused. Would it be too wrong to tell him? Nah… what’s the harm? “Just Jen -- she’s leaving my apartment and returning home.”
Theo coughed. “Jen?” His face went red. Imagine what his daughter would think, if she were to see him now…
“Should we call her?” asked Alice, as if reading his mind.
“What!?” Theo gasped. “Hell no!!”
“Yeah,” she teased, “I think we should.”
“What in the--!?” He almost went berserk, until he realized: “Oh. Ha ha. Very funny. You won’t actually do it.”
He was right -- Alice had been bluffing. But, now that he’d made a challenge out of it … she just couldn’t resist. *Bbbrriing! Bbbrriing!*
“Alice!!!”
“Shhhh,” she teased with a meaningful wink, just before Jen answered.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Jen!” said Alice cheerfully, setting the poker back in the fire. “Sorry to ask, but did you remember to turn the oven off after dinner?”
“Oh. Yeah, uh-huh.”
“And the stove?”
“Yep.”
“Great. And … hmm …” Theo was shaking his head wildly, silently mouthing the words ‘Hang up! HANG UP!!’ Really, the man was doing all he could to egg her on! “Just a sec, Jen.” She pulled a different poker out -- good and hot, with healthy wisps of steam.
She could almost make out his hushed invectives, muddled with anxious yips as she waved the poker near him and he adorably bucked to get away.
“Um, Alice?” said Jen.
“Yes – I’m here. I also just wanted to let you know, we’re still on our date so your father won’t be back for a little while.” She pressed her finger to her lips; then, with a rush of excitement, pushed the metal rod momentarily to his chest. Just a brief tap -- but enough to draw a half-stifled groan!
“What was that noise?” asked Jen.
“Oh, nothing.”
“OK, but why are you calling instead of him?”
“He’s a bit tied up at the moment.”
Theo shot her an absolutely scandalized look, which she repaid with another delightful prod of the poker. She couldn’t help herself: “Hey Theo, want to talk to her?” she called, as if asking across the room.
Total exasperation from Theo. He shook his head and ground his teeth.
“He says he’ll talk to you tonight,” Alice interpreted.
“OK, yeah. Whenever. Just … no need to call me.” The teen hung up quickly.
Alice laughed. “I think she’s a little weirded out by us dating,” she said, strutting up to her man-toy. “Good thing she doesn’t know the details, huh?” The poker, cooling down, still had enough heat to make him squirm as she slid it down his leg.
“That was…” he began. “You’re…” He was clearly trying to admonish her.
“Aww, don’t begrudge me a little fun. It’s not like I told her anything.”
“Alice,” he said, struggling to raise his voice, “i-if you ever do something like that again, I’ll … I’ll …”
“Shhhhh.” She leaned closer. “You don’t have to act all macho with me.” Tilted her torso toward him. “I know you’re not really that upset.”
“But if Jen ever found out--!”
“I know, baby. She won’t. Here, let me help you forget all about it.”
His eyes went from flitting to her breasts, to being completely transfixed by them, as she squeezed her melons in front of his nose and jiggled them around. A few moments of this, and his groans of disgruntlement soon morphed into groans of lust.
“These puppies’ll help you get back on track,” she hummed, tugging on the edge of her bra cups, bouncing them up and down. “Just stare into them. There you go…”
Oh my, his cock was twitching now. She could see it so plainly, against his boxers. “A-Alice?” the lust-filled man spoke.
“Yes?”
“I hate you,” he groaned, in the least-convincing way imaginable. But soon he couldn’t even pretend anymore. “Fuck! I need you so bad …”
“Awww, glad to hear it, baby.” She scooped forward and dragged her plump tits up along his stomach and ribs. “But we’re not quite done here yet,” she whispered into his ear, giving him a rakish smile as she picked up the hot poker and pressed it to his inner thigh, just below his throbbing crotch.
* * *
Theo didn’t know what he’d done to deserve a woman like Alice. He was still Theo Atwater, but come on. He couldn’t help consider himself lucky. Even Veronica’s was fun; and then, back at Alice’s apartment: man, she’d done this thing to him where she--
*Screech!* His foot impulsively tapped the brakes as Jen’s car came into view in his driveway. With tonight’s distractions, he hadn’t even thought about this. The girl was so unbearably mercurial, prone to irrational fits of fury. Remember Sunday, when she’d shoved him to the ground!? No doubt she’d spent these last few days letting her rage grow and fester, plotting even more outrageous infractions!
Was he afraid as he quietly crept into the house? No, no, don’t be absurd. Just cautious, that’s all. A hunter, stalking an adversary. Crossing the darkened living room, he approached the sliver of light from her bedroom and tiptoed toward the cracked-open door. Yes, she’d be bigger than on Sunday; maybe significantly so. All the more reason to keep his wits and use the element of surprise to secure the upper hand. Conciliation could come later, but first he needed to set the proper tone. With a nervous breath he barged into her room and --
What? The girl wasn’t here! She must be hiding somewhere. It’s a trap!!
His hackles rose to full alert as he spun around. Only a fool would stay still and wait for the ambush. His legs kicked into gear, driving a swift tactical retreat down the hall to regroup. Suddenly the lights switched on, and—
*Bam!* -- a shoulder appeared out of nowhere to ram itself straight into his forehead! Theo, the lighter of the two, got the brunt of the blow and stumbled two steps backward.
“Oh fuck!” the girl belted. “Dad!”
She was tall! Shoulders wider; arms thicker -- even her voice was different! His daunting quarry took an aggressive step forward, and he reacted without thinking. He’d been overpowered by women enough times this week to know: he didn’t stand a chance. He’d never win a head-on engagement. The element of surprise had failed and he broke into a full-on retreat, not looking where he was going …
His foot caught on the ottoman and he would’ve face-planted onto the hardwood floor, if two arms hadn’t hooked around his chest and stopped his fall. He blinked at the ground beneath him then coughed in surprise as Jen, with a grunt, pulled him upright all on her own.
Before he could gawk or accuse or anything else, words poured from his tall daughter’s mouth in a torrent. “Shit, Dad, I didn’t know you were here!! I was just getting a snack and -- Oh god, why do I keep running into you?! When I pushed you Sunday night it was a total accident and I’d just lost my best friend and I wasn’t myself and -- Look, I’ve been acting terrible lately and I’m REALLY sorry.”
Jen clamped her mouth shut and cringed. Aghh! She’d rehearsed her apologies so many times, but starting with a shoulder smack hadn’t exactly been part of the plan! Oh geez -- he looked almost scared or something! And super defensive: his shoulders hunched, his feet shuffling backward. It made sense, given what she’d done on Sunday; plus, their size difference had just about doubled since then …
“Truce!” Jen blurted, stepping back and waving pacifying hands. “I know a lotta stuff happened between us, and it’ll take time to sort it all out, but for now I just really want a truce so we can focus on the show! It’s just the day after tomorrow and, I mean … is that cool with you??”
Theo couldn’t bring himself to loosen his stance. He was far from invincible now, as this past week had convincingly shown. Even his daughter could kick his ass, no doubt, if she so chose. She could just be getting his guard down, to make the job easier. *Shudder* … No, she seemed sincere about the crease-fire. Or, he hoped she was.
What choice did he really have, in any case? She must outweigh him by twenty, even thirty pounds … “I-I guess that would be fine,” he managed, in a properly gruff voice. “For now.” But he couldn’t help but keep his distance as he sidled around her toward the sink.
Jen sighed in relief. This was the best she could’ve hoped for. The very best. “Cool. So I’ll … see you around tomorrow?”
Dad shrugged. “Whatever.” He seemed really tense. “Yeah.”
She bit her lip but chose to leave it there. “OK… good night!” With a short wave, she returned to her room.