by Viola Grace
She clip-clopped back to resentfully eat the muffin and drink the water as there was nothing else in her house. Fucker.
She checked her phone and winced. Walking for twenty minutes in new heels was going to be a pain, literally. She had better get going.
Serene left the empty shell that had been a cozy home the night before. It had been a haven, and now that was gone.
She locked the door and noticed the sports car at the end of her walk. She reached the main sidewalk and turned sharply to the right, heading for the bus stop.
A door opened and closed behind her, and she heard his footsteps following her. “Serene.”
She kept walking at her regular pace.
He moved surprisingly quickly and blocked her. “Serene.”
She paused and slowly looked up at him. “Yes?”
“May I explain?”
She tensed at his correct grammatical usage. “Please.”
“I need you with me.”
“I need something that is mine. Actually, physically, mine.”
He touched her arm. “I am yours.”
She jerked her arm away from him. “Not until you get me clear blood test results. You may have been around forever, but this body is human, and I don’t want anything sticking to you to infect me.”
He jerked back, his eyes wide. “That... is not something I had considered.”
“There are deadly pathogens out there, and I don’t want them in here.” She jerked her thumb at her chest. “I haven’t held off having sex for this long to have it be my final act.”
His eyes widened. “What? That isn’t...”
“Possible? Very. Likely. Not. We both know I like to do the unexpected.” She shifted from side to side.
“What are you doing?”
“Pretending I am an NPC and attempting to get around you.” Her cheeks were red, but she was sticking by her declaration of virginity.
He gently took her by the shoulders and turned her around. “Come on. Let’s go to work.”
She let him lead her back to his car. He opened the passenger door, and he helped her seat herself. She buckled in and sat with her hands folded in her lap.
He got behind the wheel and buckled up. It was nice to see that he was safe in some aspects of modern life.
“I do use condoms.” He stated it calmly as they pulled into morning traffic.
“Oh. Good for you.”
“I have a fear of siring children in the current day and age.”
“Excellent. I am sure that you always do it even when the women claim that they are on some form of birth control.” She spoke in a soft tone—no sense beating him up any further than she already had.
“I will get a healer to check me over. Will that do?”
“I would prefer a lab, but a doctor or whatever will do as long as they call me. As long as you authorize it, it won’t break privacy laws.”
He nodded. “It will be confirmed today. The doctor that is part of our group is usually available when I have a request.”
“Do you threaten him?”
He snorted. “Not directly.”
“So, why did you take all of my stuff? And how did I not wake up?”
He smiled. “You always were a sound sleeper, and I can be very stealthy when I have to.”
“So...”
“I want you with me, and your mortal sensibilities are slowing my progress. You want me, I want you, so I have created a home within my home.”
She crossed her arms. “Can I lock you out?”
“No.”
“Can I lay traps?” She pressed her lips together.
He looked at her with an appalled expression. “I suppose so.”
“Good. Keep that in mind.”
She sat in silence, and then, she smirked.
“What?”
“You hijacked all my workout clothing. Guess I can’t play tomorrow.” Her voice rang with an eerie kind of cheer, even for her own ears.
He was just as cheerful. “Don’t worry. Etta is putting something together for you.”
She made a face, and he chuckled.
By the time they pulled into the parking space, they had had every argument she could think of and made up without apologizing. It was the bickering of a long-time couple. Airing grievances before they could fester. It wasn’t the worst practice.
When they stopped, she unbuckled her seatbelt, and he gave her a dark look. She took her hand off the door handle, and she waited. He walked around the car, opened the door, and held out his hand. She took his hand, pivoted, and stood up. She was two inches taller than normal. “How high are these heels?”
He grinned. “I love that you didn’t notice until now.”
She sighed. “This is to make some sort of point.”
He closed the car door and offered her his arm. “It is indeed. It will certainly slow you down on the stairs.”
She snorted and did a quick glance to make sure that the skirt was staying put at mid-thigh. Thankfully, it was.
“So, what is the deal with playing dress-up again?”
He sighed. “You are an elegant and stunning woman. You should not be dressing like everything is too short or hiding in baggy clothing.”
“But I like baggy clothing. Shopping in the men’s department is quick and efficient.”
He winced. “That explains a lot of what I found in your wardrobe.”
“Oh, by the way, since you have rifled through all of my stuff, there isn’t a cupboard in your house that is going to escape examination.”
His eyes remained narrowed in mock pain. “Accepted.”
She grinned. “I shall add it to the list. By the way, how are you doing with freeing Miyuki?”
He grimaced. “The oni is coming around. He just needs to disgorge the ashes, yes?”
“Yes. Apologizing for kidnapping her would be a nice touch.”
He nodded. “I will see what I can do.”
“Do it soon, or the goddess is threatening to reach into your chest and pull him out for a conversation.” She laughed. “A reincarnated feminist. Nice.”
The elevator went up to the third floor. She winced.
He escorted her down the hall and to his office. She grimaced. “Morning meeting?”
“Morning meeting.”
“I need my notebook.” She walked with him to his desk.
“Fortunately, you left it here after you blasted me yesterday. You are getting stronger, by the way.”
“Gee. Thanks. The ladies and I are impressed that my human brain isn’t screaming in panic half the time.”
He smiled. “The other half?”
“I punch you and run out of the building.”
“Ah. Got it.”
He held a chair for her across the desk from him. Good. No early morning shenanigans.
He sat behind his desk, and he asked, “So, how do you communicate? With the oni, it is a rapid conversation, but I remain in control.”
“Oh, the two ladies are content to let me drive, and they watch. The world has changed so fast since they were last up and running; they are currently content to leave the mortal in control.”
He quirked his brows. “Currently?”
“Yeah. I am not stupid enough to believe that I am not going to be evaporated at some point.”
His shock was weirdly gratifying. “What?”
She shrugged. “One day, not too far in the future, she is going to push forward, and I am going to be gone.”
The voices in her head denied it, but Serene could feel it. Now that they were awake, they were making room for themselves, and they had lived so much longer than she could imagine, she was being shunted to the side. Well, that wasn’t quite true. They were making more room, but it was fun freaking the Boss out.
She was dealing with men, gods, ancient demons, and video games. She had to get her kicks where she could.
Chapter Eleve
n
After he realized she was exaggerating, he calmed down, and they discussed her extreme lack of knowledge about their product. She had to read each plot and the game bibles as well.
If she did well on the late afternoon exam, she would get to make a character and do some noob play.
Serene sat at her desk, and after she had checked off all standard details for the day, she started to study. She had read the storylines before, but this time, she paid attention.
When she started on the first volume of the game bible, it was a bit of a fight to get through. She could absorb the data, but Miyuki was working on the gameplay. She was registering that she could meet other people without having to meet other people. It was a heady thing for her. Contact without contact. She was in.
A grinning Etta came in with an armload of garment bags. “Here we are. A few more outfits and tomorrow’s training gear. Well, and a couple of changes.”
Etta hung them on the coat rack in the corner. “Now stand up. I want to check and see how the fabric is holding up.”
Serene obediently got to her feet, and Etta muttered as she tugged on the skirt.
“It seems to be staying in place. Has the Boss been playing with it?”
“No. He’s on good behaviour today.”
“I saw Doc Paul in his office. Do you know what that was about?”
Serene smiled. “I might have insisted that since I didn’t know where his hands had been that he get himself screened.”
Etta’s shock was visible. “You told him to get tested?”
“Yup. No matter what he is, this body is human. It can catch all kinds of gnarly things.”
“Oh. Wow. And he did it. No wonder you are in charge.” Etta bowed from the waist.
Serene wrinkled her nose. “Not yet. I am working on it.”
They laughed, and Etta paused. “May I have a hug again?”
Serene wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and held her. She could feel Etta relaxing. She muttered, “As odd as this is. I can consider it a standing request. You just have to tap my arm, and you can come in.”
Etta sighed and held on. “You make me feel safe.”
“Oh. Well, in that case, if my arms are free, you are always welcome.”
“You mean it?”
“Sure, any place, any time. As long as my arms are free. Doesn’t even matter if I am at a con with pervs trying to slide a hand under my skirt. You are definitely more than welcome then.” She chuckled.
“I will have to see if I can get a pass to the next one. It sounds like you need a bodyguard.” Etta released her and stepped back. “Why wasn’t the Boss there?”
“He was, he was just... occupied.”
The seamstress snickered. “That was when he pulled you in. I have seen it on the news. They can’t decide if you were the projection or he was, but you were there and then you were gone. And then back again, so it ruined a lot of their speculation.” Etta chuckled.
“There was video?”
“Yeah. It elevated the company’s status and increased our worship margins.”
“What’s a worship margin?”
Etta put a hand over her mouth. “Ah. That is one of those things you need to discuss with the Boss.”
A knock at the door caused Etta to step back. “Serene, this is Dr. Paul. Doc, this is the newly woken, Serene.”
A man who looked like he had been crafted out of gold stood in her doorway. Gold hair, blue eyes with gold streaks, and tanned skin. He smiled, and the charm in his expression snapped Serene out of her initial fascination. “It is a delight to finally meet you.”
He stepped up, and Etta eased out, not getting close to him.
Serene offered her hand, and when he shook it, his eyes went wide, and he dropped to his knees. She pulled her hand back as he shivered and twitched. If she wasn’t mistaken, he has just had an orgasm.
She cocked her head. “I am going to have a seat. You can take the opposite chair when you are ready.”
He slowly got back to his feet and shook his head. “You ancients certainly pack a punch.”
“I have nothing to compare it to.”
He paused. “No, I guess you haven’t. If you would ever like to, I will be happy to offer my services.”
She looked him over and shrugged. “It is unlikely that I will need to browse. I have a full library at home.”
He grinned. “Just so, as a physician, I have examined the Boss and have found him to be in sound health. That is not to say that he doesn’t have a lot of mileage, but there has been no damage from his travels.”
“So, you are telling me that he doesn’t have any STDs.” She wanted it stated baldly.
Dr. Paul inclined his head. “His body is incompatible with disease vectors. He simply runs too hot.”
She nodded. “Fine. Thank you. Will you give me a written report?”
He leaned forward and took a sheet of paper and a pen from her desk. He wrote a long and florid piece of information on the sheet and handed it over.
She picked up the document, and her mind filled in the blanks from the script to the language to translation. “You misspelled penis. That does not instill me with a lot of faith.”
He grabbed the sheet, and his golden skin turned red. “You can read this?”
“Of course. Intelligence is not something I am lacking.”
She took the document back and folded it in neat thirds. “Also, the rhyme about him cumming on my chest was unnecessary, no matter how poetic you feel.”
His face got hot. “Apologies. I did not think you would be able to read it.”
“So, it was to insult me? Well, it is nice to know where we stand. Thank you for the information, Dr. Paul.” The goddess jumped in, “And if you have misrepresented any information, I will make sure that your slight lack of control is the last time you feel pleasure.”
Serene wanted to apologize, but Dr. Paul nodded deeply. “The information is accurate. You are in no danger from sexual contact with him, though the mass of him may crush you.”
The goddess gave him a narrow-eyed look. “I had no intention of letting him be on top.”
The doctor’s eyes rolled, and the whites were completely visible for a second. “Thank you for seeing me. This visit has been most enlightening.”
She got to her feet, and he suddenly realized that they were eye to eye.
“Thank you for the honour of allowing me an audience, mistress.” He bowed low.
Serene cocked her head, and the goddess replied with, “The honour has been bestowed. Now attend to those that need you, healer.”
He reached for her hand, and she didn’t offer it again. “I believe it is too rich for your blood at present.”
He nodded and bowed his way out of the office.
Serene exhaled and finished unbraiding her hair. She had been picking at it off and on for most of the morning.
She finger-combed the mass and went back to the gaming bible. She had gotten through the majority of character selection when Miyuki began whispering that she wanted to create a snow woman character.
Serene sat at the table with the ladies, wearing the robes that Miyuki had chosen for the meeting. “I think you will have to wait for the next update to the game. If we can come up with a good storyline and a way to divert players to you for battles or wisdom in the game, we can make a case for the inclusion. We have to design it ourselves, though.”
The goddess smiled. “I have faith in you, Serene. You understand the structure, Miyuki has the drive, and I provide the brains. Together, we make a frightening woman.”
Serene sipped at the tea. “Pardon, but you are more than formidable on your own. I don’t know why I am involved with this.”
“We were born into you for a reason. We have eased you through life as best we were able, but as we were small, it was difficult. Now that we have worshipers again, we will be stronger... together.” The goddess smil
ed, and her expression was beautiful. She was a being sculpted of light, and it was strange to accept her as part of Serene, but yet, she had always been there.
Serene looked and set her teacup down. “So, why am I a virgin if you are a sex goddess?”
The goddess shrugged. “I have only ever had one partner who could keep up with me, and he is on the level above you. I did not want you disappointed or disillusioned with the possibilities. Bad sex leaves a mark. No sex leaves anticipation.”
“So, you have been working on me as well.”
The goddess chuckled. “You are direct in a way that I rarely am. It is keeping him on his toes. Also, your penchant for making rules that indicate dealbreakers are very clear. He will not want to incur your wrath. I believe that was one of our issues, way back.”
A chime rang, and Serene sat up. “Dang. Miyuki, I will ask him about the game addition.”
The goddess chuckled, and Serene was back in full control of her body, shutting off the meeting alarm and grabbing her notepad. She took the storyline maps back to his office, once again, hiking up the steps. Once again, there was silence in the bullpen.
She paused on the landing and looked at them. “You are welcome to look, but you are wasting your lunchtime.”
She hiked up the rest of the stairs and walked to the Boss’s office. He was working with a large screen behind him, and she walked up to him, bowing slightly. “Boss.”
He smiled and looked at her, but there was a slightly nervous look in his eyes. “Serene, how was your morning.”
“Busy, getting the final details for tomorrow. Reading.”
“How was the meeting with Dr. Paul?”
She made a face. “He’s a bit of a lightweight. Despite his age, he was like a teenager. Went off like a rocket at the slightest touch.”
His eyebrows went up.
She smirked. “I shook his hand, and she came out to play.”
He sighed. “Did he recover?”
“Yeah. That is the thing about the young, they bounce back.” She smiled.
He was suddenly all business. “Have you had a chance to read up on character design?”
