After AnimeCon 2: Blackmail

    “So uh, where do you work?” Candace asked Brian. “I don’t think Stephanie mentioned?”

    “Well—that’s kind of a long story,” Brian let out an uneasy laugh. “Thing is—”

    Seeing that Brian and Candace were beginning to engage in the more tedious processes of getting to know one another, Kelly began to tune their conversation out. Although she had dressed to the nines tonight and intended on really impressing all of Brian and Emily’s local friends, it was often difficult to find the right places to insert her particular brand of charming into the different conversations. Most of the group here was mean to each other in a sort of light-hearted, joking way, and Kelly did not have the familiarity with them to do the same without probably coming across too strong, and she definitely didn’t want to do that.

    Thus, instead a certain twitchy junkie-like itch Kelly had been trying to suppress all night began to slink its way forward again to the forefront of her mind.

    “Emily, babe?” Kelly finally asked, pulling her girlfriend closer so that Brian and Candace wouldn’t overhear. “So… I’ve been thinking.”

    “Not really your strong suit, but go ahead,” Emily teased.

    It wasn’t the first time Emily had used that line with her, and Kelly was unsure as to whether she wanted to allow it to become a habit. When she examined her date for this evening at such a close distance however, Kelly couldn’t help but admire how cute Emily was tonight. It wasn’t even just the flashy makeup tonight, either—all of that just helped bring out that special sparkle in Emily’s eyes, helped magnify the adorable contour of the way her cheek curved so easily into her mischievous smile. The little touch of gloss on Emily’s lips made them look wet and particularly inviting.

    Just past Emily, Brian was rugged and masculine—the little darkened bit of ‘bruising’ at the edge of his nose and then along the outside of one eye made him look dangerous, in a way that tickled slivers of metallic red up out of Kelly’s core. On the other end of the couch, Candace seemed to be vacillating wildly between putting a professional amount of boundary space between them… and throwing caution to the wind and putting her hands all over him. Kelly couldn’t blame the poor girl at all, because tonight and in that shirt especially, Brian was fucking eye candy. He exuded a certain sexual magnetism that kept drawing you in the longer you allowed your eyes to linger upon him. 

    “Can I… borrow your phone?” Kelly pursed her lips into a pout and made huge pleading puppy dog eyes at Emily. “Pretty pretty please?”

    “Ugghhh,” Emily groaned in faux-frustration, but a bit of a smile was peeking through. “Lemme guess. Stephanie?”

    “I just need like, a real quick fix, I promise,” Kelly said. “Then after that, I’ll be a good girl for the rest of the night. I’ll be such a good girl.”

    “Fiiiine,” Emily growled, fishing her phone out of her pocket. “But, only ‘cause I love you. And, tonight’s a special night. So. Don’t expect me to indulge you all the time! You’re getting spoiled!”

    “Uh-huh, yeah,” Kelly agreed, taking the phone with an eager expression. “You’re totally right. You’re sooo right. You’re my girlfriend, you’re always right! I’m spoiled. You all spoil me. I’m a pampered princess. I love you.”

    “But, seriously,” Emily leaned in close and dropped her voice to a low tone. “Is it actually getting bad? Are our friends—is all of this—do they bother you?”

    “No, no—” Kelly assured her as she immediately speed-dialed Stephanie. “Your friends are funny. I mostly like them? I’m, yeah I’m stressing, but. I just… I really miss Stephanie. Keep wishing she was here with us, for this. She should have been here with us. Meeting everyone. You know?”

    “Yeah,” Emily sighed. “But, wait. Real quick—is Candace here ever joining the harem? In the future?”

    “I have zero impression of her from any of the Sends I’ve ever gotten?” Kelly shrugged.

    She was already impatiently pressing the phone to one ear.

    “So, I guess not. None of the futures who’ve Sent to us said anything about her that I remember? And, only the one ever even mentioned Angela, none of the others did. So, finding more joiners might be some kinda rare thing? If—”

    “Hello?!” Stephanie’s voice interrupted as the call went through.

    “Stephanie!” Kelly breathed out a big sigh of relief. “I miss you.”

    “I miss you!!” Stephanie said. “I miss you all. So much. Is everyone okay? Is Christine still—Christine? How’s Brian? How are you?!”

    “We’re having a bonfire at Brian’s friend’s place with everyone,” Kelly explained, trying not to let her sudden glee make her start to babble. “Which is funny, to me? Still haven’t even really washed the campfire smoke out of my hair from yesterday and this morning, and yeah—here I am again. At another big fire. But… baby, your fire is the one I really want…”

    Emily snorted and rolled her eyes.

    “Awwww,” Stephanie giggled. “Well, thank you? I do like Brian’s friends. I’m in a group chat thing with them, someone added me in. They’re very… interesting?”

    “S’one way to put it,” Kelly chuckled. “It’s really not the same without you here, though. You’re like, my drug. My drug. I need you. I need my Stephie fix. I was just telling Emily.”

    “Ohhh, I need all of you, too,” Stephanie groaned. “My fire, it—wait, I’m not on speaker, am I?”

    “I can put you on speaker,” Kelly said. “Emily’s sitting right here with me. Brian should be able to hear you, too. If you speak up.”

    “W-wait, not yet,” Stephanie laughed. “Not if other people can overhear.”

    “Okay then, s’just you and me,” Kelly promised.

    “So. My um,” Stephanie paused, sounding embarrassed. “My fire’s been really low. I’ve been really low. When I was there with all of you, it—I—my own emotions fed off of all of yours, and yes okay sometimes that was too much, and everything was out of control, but—but. Now it’s gone from that to just having nothing at all, nothing to feed on, and my pink fire is back to being this little useless tiny pathetic me. As if I wasn’t already feeling low enough already…”

    “I feel the same way!” Kelly said into the phone. “Part of mine is fire, too. The starlight or whatever. I mean, my whole thing isn’t fire like yours is, but part of it is. When you’re not here with me… I feel like I’m growing unhinged. We all have some kind of magic synergy or something, and the thing between you and I specifically is like, my mood stabilizer? I don’t know. It’s making me a little crazy.”

    “I’m really sorry,” Stephanie groaned. “I wish I was there. Does, um. Does you having Brian and Emily there help some, at least?”

    “It…” Kelly forced herself to stop and consider that rather than just blurting out an immediate no. “It… does, yeah. Guess more than I realized, because I just want to focus on all the bad. Being in Brian’s orbit I guess really does help a lot. His gravity. Keeps me from acting on the crazy I feel and just flinging myself out into the cosmos and being Kelly the lone fuckup act, again. Emily and I… I don’t know. Her thing and mine become a welcome distraction? Like I’m making waves for her, maybe, or pulling like the tide, and she’s helping… cloud over how much a lot of stuff is bothering me? With the way our stuff intersects.”

    Emily could only hear Kelly’s part of the conversation, but she looked a little touched.

    “That’s good, then,” Stephanie said. “Stay close to them, please. Give them lots of kisses.”

    “I will,” Kelly sighed.

    “Don’t I will like that!” Stephanie broke into a fit of giggles all over again. “Like it’s some kind of chore!”

    “I don’t mean it like that, I just—really fucking miss you,” Kelly muttered. “Like, a lot. It’s—”

    “And, I miss all of you,” Stephanie harumphed. “I don’t have any Brians or Emilys here to kiss! So. You need to give them extra. For me. Lots of extra kisses and love. Please.”

    “I will, I will,” Kelly promised. “Sorry, I—yeah that was stupid of me. Didn’t mean to like…”

    “I know,” Stephanie said in a soft voice. “I’m not trying to just complain. Is, um. Is Christine there, too? Have you felt her, at all?”

    “She’s here, sorta,” Kelly glanced past the edge of the bonfire over in Christine’s direction. “But, she’s halfway pretending to be Chloe. To uh, sorta ease along group perception of what’s going on and not have it be like her whole personality did a complete one-eighty. I think she’s struggling? Honestly. She’s sitting over on the other side with this stuck up Monique bitch, who is like, a Chloe friend. Monique’s basically Chloe lite.”

    “Have you felt her, um, magically at all?” Stephanie asked.

    “Not… really?” Kelly had to think about it. “I’ve honestly just been kind of caught up in missing you. Wasn’t even really properly thinking about or appreciating Brian and Emily, ‘til you made me really stop and think. Which proves how much I need you, and how right I am to like, hyperfocus on—”

    “Kelly,” Stephanie interrupted. “I know how you feel. Even without being there and feeling it—I remember. So. With that in mind… can you try to help out Christine? Wherever you can, however you can. She needs help, right now. It’s not going to be something she’s capable of asking for, no matter how bad she needs it. So, it becomes even more important that you all are there for her.”

    “I… yeah, okay,” Kelly agreed. “Yes, Miss Feelings Police! Sheriff Ma’am. Consider me deputized, for tonight. You’re right. You’re always right. I love that you’re always like this—thinking about everyone. Trying to make it work. You’re a much better person than I am.”

    “I’m not,” Stephanie refused to accept that. “I can want to help all I want, but I’m always so useless. I can’t actually help anyone myself, and now it feels like I’m just—nagging at you to do what I could never be able to do, or—”

    “No,” Kelly said. “No. That’s completely fucking not true. You’ve done so much, for me, for Brian and everyone, you—”

    “I’m—” Stephanie groaned. “I’m not as capable as I wish I could be, and I think you need to realize that a lot of the time, Kelly, it was you who actually made things happen. Like, like whenever we argued with Chloe, or when we were trying to bring Brian around to the charm stuff—I wished I could say all of the um, the right things, the right words at the exact time I needed them. But, I didn’t have them. You did. With a lot of things I can’t just make things happen the way you can. I can’t act on what I wish I could do the um, the way I want to.”

    “Then—okay yeah, whatever, we’re a dream team,” Kelly said. “You care, you’re looking out for us, you’re the moral compass. The Sheriff, the Marshall. I’ll do whatever it is you think I should. If you think I need to go over there and give Christine some support, then yeah. That’s what I should do. I did kiss her earlier, right in front of everyone? But as kind of like, a power play sort of move to shut her up. She was pretending to be Chloe uh, a little too well and it was getting under my skin. So.”

    “Right in front of everyone?!” Stephanie let out a small laugh of surprise. “How did they all react?!”

    “More surprised than I thought they’d be,” Kelly admitted. “Their whole group dynamic is… weird? It’s like they’re just now starting to realize they don’t have to tiptoe on eggshells  around Chloe or treat her like some prima donna, anymore. Kinda batshit crazy. Oh! And, apparently tonight everyone’s trying to hook up with Brian?”

    “Oh, really?” 

    “Yeah,” Kelly couldn’t hide her mirth. “Mary’s here—do you remember Mary? And, trying to flirt with him like she wasn’t a cunt to him the whole time we were at the con. Tanya dragged over this coworker girl, and is trying to set her up with Brian. There’s this bigger girl Becky with her tits most of the way out, she’s kind of stewing at ‘Chloe,’ because we spilled the tea with what happened at the con. Oh—and last but not least, Emily’s little sister is here, making her ga-ga eyes at Brian. It’s kinda weird. She’s not much like Emily at all. I mean duh yeah except in that they both do that. They don’t look that much alike, I wouldn’t’ve guessed.”

    “Oh, wow…” Stephanie let out a chuckle. “The… tea?”

    “Then, Brian’s friend Michael?” Kelly continued. “Keeps trying to like, talk him up. Talk Brian up. Which I really like, that gives him points in my book. Oh, shoot. Steph, one second!”

    Kelly turned from the phone towards Emily and gave her a nudge.

    “Emily? Give fifteen points to Michael.”

    “Fifteen? What for?” Emily blinked. “Uh, how ‘bout we do five? Fifteen’s a lot.”

    “Five, then,” Kelly nodded. “Whatever.”

    “Michael!” Emily called out across the clearing. “You get five points.”

    “Hell yeah, hell fuckin’ yeah,” Michael hollered. “What for? Five points for what?”

    “Wait—” Emily turned to Kelly, confused. “Yeah, what for? The fuck are we putting him on the scoreboard, for? Can we not? We’re not bringing him into our thing.”

    “Emily, I don’t know?!” Kelly laughed. “Just giving points where points are due, okay? If you can give Becky points when she deserves them, I can give Michael points.”

    “Okay, okay,” Emily grumbled. “Fine.”

    “Five points for what?!” Michael yelled again. “Emily!”

    “Never you mind what they’re for!” Emily shouted over.

    “Sorry,” Kelly returned to the phone. “Had to give out points.”

    “Are you guys playing a game?” Stephanie asked with interest.

    “Not actually, but then also—with them, everything is kind of a game?” Kelly smirked. “They don’t take much of anything too seriously. You’d like them. You’d really like them. I miss you…”

    “Hey, hey,” Emily elbowed. “My turn, yet? You’re uh, kinda hoggin’ all the Stephie. Don’t want you to overdose, babe. You’re already gettin’ all cutesy and bimbo brain on her.”

    “Hold on, geez,” Kelly scoffed. “Ughhh! Steph, baby… Emily wants to talk, she’s cutting me off. I… guess I’ll go bother ‘Chloe’ for a bit?”

    “Okay,” Stephanie agreed. “Help her if you can! Muah! I love you. Miss you!”

    “Miss you more!” Kelly made a kissy noise into the phone before reluctantly passing it to Emily. “Emmie—make sure Brian gets time with her, too.”

    “Yeah, sure,” Emily nodded, bringing the phone up while clapping a hand over her opposite ear so as to block out the noise from everyone else. “Hiiii Steph! So uh, Stephie—do you remember the uh, head librarian chick, or whatever who was there for your interview? Seneca Public Library. Prudish yet seductive kinda lady in the streets, freak in the sheets kinda vibe?

    “Yeah. Yeah, her. She’s here, right here with us. Candace—err, Ms. Candace. And, I think I can get Brian to kiss her. Or, her to kiss him? She seems like, like yeah totally she is real down bad for Brian. What? Down bad. It means—how do you not know what that means?! Down bad. No, I don’t know how to fucking explain it, it just—it just is. She’s down bad for real. No, she’s not bad. She’s down bad. Anyways, so do you think—”

    Unlike Kelly who was on one end of the couch, Emily was in the middle right next to the occupants under discussion who were sitting with them, and not being careful enough with her volume. Brian turned to give Emily a look of amusement at hearing them mentioned, and then Candace leaned forward from his arms to smirk at the oblivious Emily, as well.

    Okay, well here we go, Kelly climbed up off of the sofa and stood. It’s bad bitch time, gotta earn this deputy star from the Sheriff. And—who knows? Steph and Brian throwing me a fuckin’ lifeline back then MEANT THE WORLD TO ME, literally changed my life. Maybe me just trying to step in and keep Christine’s head above all this fucking misery she’s drowning in will mean a lot to her? Little acts of kindness.

* * *

    “So what the fuck was all of that?” Monique asked, staring at Christine with a look that was somewhere between disgust and disbelief. “What’s even your play, here? You’re usually like—a lot more on top of things, with this.”

    “It’s complicated,” Christine returned the look with a well-practiced Chloe one that was absolutely withering. “You uh, well, you wouldn’t get it.”

    “Get what?” Monique scoffed. “That you’ve lost your mind? Apparently? Like—what’s the actual deal, do they have something on you? They’re holding something over your head? Because, the Chloe I know wouldn’t just roll over and admit to whatever bullshit made-up nonsense it was that I just heard. So, they must be extorting you. With what?”

    “You know,” Christine shifted in her folding lawn chair, trying to look comfortable. “It’s funny that you at least see what’s really going on. While no one else seems able to.”

    “I knew it—so, what is it?!” Monique’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “You can tell me. Like, duh, who else is even gonna try to help you?”

    “It’s complicated,” Christine said again.

    What do they have over me? Christine wanted to laugh out loud but she restrained herself. Everything. EVERYTHING. The Chloe you thought you knew was a literal psychopath, and they had the cure for that. I’m a REAL PERSON AGAIN. That’s what they gave me—clarity. Reflection. Self-awareness. My scales were skewed and have been righted, and I am deeply, deeply in their debt. I owe them everything, more than everything, and EVEN MORE THAN THAT, I love them. I really do. How can I not? After they saved me. ME, of all people.

    “Don’t give me that it’s complicated bullshit,” Monique’s voice turned cold. “If you called sexual assault on Brian, then there’s no way that you, of all people, would ever walk back on that. That there’s… that is already you going scorched earth on him, Chloe. So, I know something fishy is up. You need to tell me what the fucking deal is—because if I have to dig around and figure it out myself, then oh hmm, I think you’re not gonna like it.”

    There it is, Christine actually allowed herself to smile—a cold, calculating smile. Mono ‘knows’ that someone has leverage on me, so she’s offering to ‘help,’ and by ‘help’ she means SHE wants that leverage, instead. Guess I need to disabuse her of the notion that this would be something she could use against me? Can even use little bits of the truth but way out of context to do it.

    “It’s nothing you want involved in,” Christine gave Monique a dismissive glance. “They found out some stuff I had going on the side, that’s all. So, I’m in a bit of a spot. Like, I’m talking sixty-three thousand dollars.”

    “Sixty-three thousand dollars?!” Monique’s mouth fell open. “What the—what the fuck were you doing?!”

    “Keep your fucking voice down,” Christine snapped. “And. Well. It’s nothing you wouldn’t have done in my place?”

    “No, what the actual fuck?” Monique growled in a hushed voice. “You owe sixty-three thou? Or, you stole that much? The fuck do you mean sixty-three thousand?! Whose was it? Who has it? Where do you even go about getting that much cash into play?! What, were you escorting on the side? Is this… hush money? Drug money? What the actual fuck?!”

    “I’m tempted to tell you everything, every last lurid detail—just so we’re both in the same trouble,” Christine said in a sickeningly sweet tone. “But, no. It wouldn’t fucking change anything. Would just make things more complicated and shitty for me. More headache I don’t need. So—let’s just keep things at it’s complicated, alright?”

    “Just, tell me what the basic deal is,” Monique badgered. “I don’t need to know whatever the nitty gritty exact who what when where details are. You owe sixty-three thou? Somehow? To who? Brian?”

    “No,” Christine scowled, turning away. “Not exactly. Brian, he just… found out about it. So, we have an agreement. For now. I can play nice for a while. Look at me, playing nice. Like I said, I’ll still get even with them eventually. They’ll get what’s coming to them.”

    “Chloe—sixty K is like, the down payment on a house,” Monique mumbled. “Like, a nice house. Or, a down payment and then some.”

    “I know.”

    “You could buy a pretty new fucking car with sixty K.”

     “I said I know.”

    “But, fuck it—like, give me half, and Brian can have an accident?” Monique giggled. “I’m kidding. But, seriously would that help? If we made the Brian blackmail thing go away. We could—I don’t know. Counter-blackmail? Is there a word for that? If me and Amy and a couple other girls also say it, we could legit get him booked on sexual assault. Or at least like, threaten him with it? Since he’s basically already threatening you?”

    “It’s not like that,” Christine shook her head. “It’s complicated. Just—forget about it. There’s nothing we can do, for now.”

    “Is it like, you managed to get sixty-three K in debt, and Brian’s willing to bail you out?” Monique guessed. “No, that can’t be it, either. If Brian had that kind of dosh sitting around, it would’ve already been yours. Did he—what—take out a loan to cover you? That’s why you’re ‘playing nice,’ now? But, fuck. Why would he? What’s going on with the rape accusation thing? I don’t get it.”

    “You’re not going to get it, so just fucking drop it,” Christine said. “I’ll figure something out. I just need some more time.”

    “Chloe, c’mon,” Monique whined. “You know you can count on me, right? I’m the only one who’s gonna seriously have your back, on this. You even said it yourself—nobody else even figured something was up, here. But, I did. Because, I know you.”

     “Alright,” Christine said, thinking it over for a moment. “Listen carefully, then. In a couple of days, Brian and I are going to go to a certain place, and meet a certain person. We’re going to give that person sixty-three thousand dollars and an apology. A sincere fucking apology. What happens if we don’t? I don’t know, and I don’t want to fucking find out. I’m fucking terrified. I’ve—well. It’s not related in the way you might think, but I have met some extremely fucking dangerous people, somewhat recently. I saw a guy get fucking lobotomized. Do you still want to be involved? Still want to help me?”

    “What the fuck,” Monique stared at her, stunned. “What the fuck did you DO?!”

    “It’s complicated,” Christine sneered.

    “But, you have all that money, right now?” Monique pressed. “Because—Chloe think about it. You can just take it and fucking run. Disappear.”

    “Not exactly, and—this isn’t something I can run away from,” Christine shook her head. “So, drop it.” 

    “Alright, fine,” Monique scoffed. “I’ll think of something. Somehow. I’m your best friend, hello??”

    “Yeah,” Christine muttered. “You do that.”

    Their whispered conversation had to pause there, because Kelly was walking around the bonfire towards where their two folding lawn chairs were distanced a bit from the rest. Christine didn’t know what to think or how to feel at seeing the incredibly attractive redhead approach—just the act of watching her drew her mind to distraction and made it hard to focus. Kelly looked good tonight, and Christine still wasn’t used to the way her eyes were drawn to that slight subtle bounce of the girl’s breasts.

    “Hey, girls,” Kelly drawled. “You mind if I borrow Chloe dearest away for a second? Want to have a little… chit-chat.”

    “No, be my guest,” Monique laughed, immediately throwing ‘Chloe’ to the wolves who might be blackmailing her. “Have fun!”

    If it all wasn’t so funny, Christine might have bit out some rather scathing words about her supposed bestie’s purported loyalty. But, it was all a sham in the first place, so she settled with turning and leveling a silent glare at her friend Monique. The blonde with the botched nosejob looked away with a hum, refusing to make eye contact with her.

    “Sure, why not?” Christine stood up from her chair, voice dripping with scarcely-contained rage. “Let’s take a walk.”

    It felt as though everyone’s eyes were on her as she followed Kelly out into the darkness and away from the bonfire clearing. As they went further along the path and the shadows grew so deep they could barely see where they were stepping, however—Christine felt a surprising amount of relief. Putting on even a flimsy Chloe psychotic bitch act was exhausting work on a lot of levels, and her shoulders felt full of tension and her jaw hurt from unconsciously gritting her teeth. It took her several deep breaths and another minute for Christine to wind herself back down and begin to relax, and that’s where Kelly stopped.

    For a moment Christine simply stared at Kelly, who was standing in the unlit and overgrown yard halfway back to the house, framed above by the glittering beauty of the starry sky. She was altogether spectacular. Seeing her like this—sharing a moment with her like this, had Christine’s battered and beaten heart climbing up into her throat.

    “Thank you,” Christine said in a quiet voice.

    “Don’t thank me, I was caught up in my own bullshit and didn’t even think much about you,” Kelly admitted with a small smile. “Sorry for that. I bugged Emily to let me call Steph, because I needed to hear her voice, and. Yeah. Steph, she asked me to make sure you’re managing through this okay. So, hah, now I feel guilty for not having you on my mind at all. Again, sorry.”

    “No, no—it’s,” Christine shook her head. “It’s fine.”

    “You’re doing a great job,” Kelly praised. “It’s believable. Subtle, too. The whole Chloe front you put on.”

    “Monique was suspicious,” Christine revealed. “She didn’t buy that I would ever feel enough remorse to admit to anyone I had set Brian up for false charges. I, um. I made up a story about being in deep trouble with things I can’t talk about. Used little bits of truth from here and there, but put everything just out of place enough to make a weird kind of sense. Even though it doesn’t. Made it sound like maybe Brian’s blackmailing me with something. It had to be something like that, or she wouldn’t have believed any of it.”

    “Mm, I saw she was giving you the tenth degree there, for a bit,” Kelly nodded. “That’s clever, though. I like it.”

    “Thanks,” Christine said without feeling. “I guess.”

    “So—why some glum?” Kelly asked. “You’ve performed your role perfectly. Do you know what that means?”

    “What?” Christine asked.

    “It means that now you have something to look forward to,” Kelly said. “Probably tonight, that would make sense. Late tonight, but still.”

    “Look… forward to?” Christine did not understand.

    “Are you not getting the whole carrot and the stick thing?” Kelly chuckled. “Are you underestimating us as your evil, wicked, cruel and unusual captors? You had a tough job, and you did it really well. I’m impressed. Brian knows Chloe and everyone better than I do, so he’ll be even more impressed. So, you’re getting a big carrot. Tonight, I’d imagine. Were you not even thinking about that? Your reward?”

    “I…” Christine found herself in a daze, mesmerized by Kelly and the sprinkle of stars twinkling above her. “I don’t think I even thought that—”

    “Well, you should,” Kelly chastised her. “I’m telling you now; I appreciate this. I know it has to have been hard for you. But, you’ve borne it well, and their whole group of chucklefucks here—even Monique—bought it. Brian absolutely appreciates this.”

    “I’m just doing what I had to do,” Christine shrugged, trying to remain indifferent.

    “If you’re open to it, I can show you my appreciation now,” Kelly offered. “And. I’m asking, because I don’t know if that’s even anything you would want, right now. Charm bullshit or not, I don’t really get the sense that you’re into me, very much.”

    “You’re… very lovely,” Christine admitted. “I just. I don’t know what I want.”

    “I think I know what you want,” Kelly said. “You want Brian to punish you.”

    “I—” Christine had to stop herself, because it would feel like she was lying if she just immediately refuted that. “I don’t know.”

    “All these girls here tonight making eyes at Brian?” Kelly laughed. “Candace. Becky. Mary. Katie. And, the one he’ll take home and wind up doing unspeakably sexual things to? Is ‘Chloe.’ The last person anyone would expect. It’s kind of funny, isn’t it?”

    “I, I don’t think—” Christine faltered.

    “Then don’t think,” Kelly cut her off. “You’re not great at it, either. Apparently. Later tonight, you’ll just be Brian’s pet. No thinking necessary! Maybe he has another spanking in store for you? The kind that again ends in a dirty little fingerfuck. Or, maybe he’ll make you strip—slowly—while he watches. Would that be humiliating? Bet it would have been for Chloe. Do you want him to take you, to own you, to do whatever he pleases with your body? Your mind? Your soul?”

    “Y-you’ve made your point,” Christine said. “But. I doubt he’ll even—”

    “Then, you don’t know him anywhere near as well as you thought you did,” Kelly interrupted again. “Because, there’s also much worse in store for you. Your body craves punishment, you need abused in all the right ways, because that’s the only thing that helps relieve all that guilt that keeps stacking up. But, he can torture you with kindness as well. He can praise, admire, and adore you, lavish you with love, sweet affection and appreciation until you twist in anguish and BEG for him to stop.”

    “What I was trying to say!” Christine fought to keep her voice from wavering, and the only way she could bull onwards was by pretending Kelly hadn’t said any of those things.

    “Hm?” Kelly prompted.

    “Is that. It will be late,” Christine concluded. “Brian and everyone will be tired. I don’t expect anything, and. I don’t even deserve anything.”

    “Do you want to make a bet, then?” Kelly suggested. “Yeah you sound so super confident, so we can set the stakes super high, huh? Yeah. If I’m right, and Brian remembers on his own to ‘appreciate’ what you’ve done tonight… then you have to put on a big, happy smile every time you see him. For, say—the next three days?”

    “One day,” Christine countered, trying her best not to think of how absolutely ashamed and embarrassed she would be to smile like that around Brian, considering their circumstances. Those thoughts needed to be shut down hard, because they made her want to physically recoil back into herself. 

    “Fine, one day,” Kelly shrugged. “Big, bright, happy smile. No more serious, sad, and gloomy Christine. For a whole fucking day.”

    “Then—if I win?” Christine asked.

    “Whatever you want,” Kelly said. “Set the stakes yourself. What do you want?”

    “I—” Christine found herself altogether stumped for an answer.

    The bet had caught her interest, because there her mind could weigh the possibilities against the consequences, and those were tangible concepts for her to grapple with. When it came to setting her own win condition, however—Christine drew a total blank. What would be appropriate? What was the counterbalance to offset having to smile like a sappy idiot around Brian for a whole day? Did she want her buttocks beaten, until she came all over Brian’s fingers again? She wasn’t sure she could ever admit to that. Ever.

    “For some reason, I feel like this whole conversation was one big trap,” Christine glowered. “I—I don’t want anything. I don’t deserve anything. It doesn’t make sense in the first place.”

    “You need to take time and think it over,” Kelly said in a slow, patient tone of voice. “I know what you want, and what you don’t want—and you need to actually allow yourself to consider those things. Until then? Bet’s on. If you want, your side of the bet can be—I don’t know. Punish me, if you want? Have me have to do something stupid, or embarrassing. Something I’d hate. That’s fair.”

    “I’ll think about it,” Christine said. “I don’t think it’s fair to make you do anything. You only even brought it up in the first place to try to help me.”

    “All’s fair in love and war,” Kelly sighed. “You’ll see.”

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