by Robert C Ray
"And what do you call these?" he asked as he followed her lead, and began to place them on the stone.
"I call them steamed clams," she said with a chuckle. "What do you call them?"
All he could do was laugh, and think of how he should have seen that one coming, but he was really expecting something else.
"I would call them bliss," he told her as he paused to gaze into her baby blue eyes, and the expression that she threw at him was as intoxicating as the food she had prepared.
"And now we wait," she said before turning to head toward the trees, and from behind one of them she grabbed what appeared to be a piece of bamboo. When she came closer, however, he could see the holes in it, and it was obviously a primitive flute.
Sitting beside the flames, she patted upon the ground beside her, motioning for him to do the same. Naturally, he did as she desired, and she then began to charm his soul with her ardent melody.
Lying back with his fingers locked behind his head, he closed his eyes, and began to drift upon the sound. He could not think of anything that would make her more beautiful than she was right now, but he figured that she would find a way. She always did, and he was beginning to believe that she always would.
Eventually her song came to an end, but he simply laid there with his eyes closed, until her soothing voice brought him back to reality.
"Would you like something to drink?" she asked, and when he nodded she stood, and went back to the edge of the water. This time she pulled a large sack from it, and he could tell from its round bulges that it was the one with the coconuts in it.
Putting one in her hand, she reached for the stone that was used to open the clams, and with one quick strike, she cracked it open, and peeled away the top. Then she pulled from the other sack what appeared to be a leather wine skin, and poured some of its contents into the coconut.
"The clams should be done by now," she said as she handed him the drink before preparing one for herself. "Would you like one now?"
"Certainly," he told her with a smile designed to hide the fact that they still did not sound too appetizing.
Gathering the empty tops of the clams, she went and rinsed them off in the water before returning to the stone. There she took one of the tops, and began to roll the cooked ones over, and he was surprised when they began to offer up a tantalizing aroma.
Placing the rinsed shells to the side, she turned, walked a short way into the jungle, and began to pick something. What she returned with appeared to be a handful of small seeds, and when she retrieved the two prying stones, she began to grind the seeds between them. Gently the spice fell upon the clams, and when some would hit the stone, it offered up fragrant whiffs.
With two of the rinsed shells, she scooped up two of the hot ones, and returned to sit beside him.
"Thank you," he told her as she handed him one, and he looked down at it with uncertainty. It smelled much better than he figured it would, and when she ate her own, he found the courage to do the same.
It was delightful and not at all rubbery, as he had been expecting. The steam from the plant gave it a flavor that resembled lemons, and the seasoning worked quite well with it.
"It's very good," he told her, and she thanked him with an endearing smile.
"Tell me more about your world," she asked, and for a while, he did so, as they watched the day slowly transform into a beautiful starlit night.
When they had finished the appetizers, and a few more of the drinks, she leaned over, and whispered into his ear.
"I heard that clams are an aphrodisiac," she told him, and before he could tell her that it was supposed to be raw oysters, she placed her hand on the back of his neck, and pulled her lips to his own. The taste of them surpassed any of the food she had made, and he passionately consumed them. He found at this moment, no need to resist his instincts, and she had no desire for him to do so.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Seduction
Charlie looked so cute lying back on the bed with his legs hanging over the side, and his mouth wide open, emitting a soft snore. Apparently the champagne, added to the merlot that he had drank earlier, was too much of a strain on his exhausted mind and body.
Lifting his legs, Viper turned him so that he lay on the length of the bed, and he stirred for only a short moment before his mouth opened once more, and the snoring continued.
Playfully she put two fingers beneath his chin, and gently pushed it shut, only to watch it spring back open. Seeing a man with his eyes closed, while still breathing, was a new experience for her, and she giggled at the sight of it.
Carefully, as to not disturb him any further, she removed his shoes and socks, before pulling the blanket over him. He had been a perfect gentleman, and this also delighted her, for it was something else that she was experiencing for the very first time.
Turning, she looked over at his car keys sitting on the end table, and this could only mean one thing.
* * *
Looking in every direction from the driver's seat, she saw that there was no one to be seen on the empty street that she had wandered upon, and the temptation was overwhelming. Placing the car into reverse, she took a deep breath before glancing around once more, and when she was certain that she was quite alone, she stepped on the gas.
Rapidly she reached a good speed, and at the time of her choosing, she slammed on the brakes before jerking the wheel to her left. This spun the car around, and at precisely the right moment, she straightened the wheel, and threw the car back into drive, before accelerating again.
A perfectly performed, reverse ridge runner was a thing of beauty, and this time she could truly feel the machine, and the pavement beneath her. It was a sensation that caused her heart to race, as she felt for the first time, the feeling known as excitement.
Sure, she was excited when she first tried on the red dress, but this was the excitement that lingered with danger, and she could not wait to experience it again, in variously different ways.
Pulling slowly into a twenty-four-hour gas station, she determined that she would try something as new as the other experiences. This time however, it had nothing to do with adrenaline, or things that she could see. This time it was about a sensation that she knew so little about, for it was something that could not quite be programmed into her brain, for it was a sensation that requires real life.
Stepping from the Intrepid, she then straightened her red dress, which was enough of a motion to cause the man who was filling his tank to forget what he was doing for a moment. The smile that she threw his way did little to help him come back to his senses, and he could not even find the strength to smile back at her before she turned away, and stepped gracefully into the store.
Knowing exactly what she wanted, she went straight to the coffee pot before realizing that she had no idea about how she should put it together, so she turned to the young man behind the counter.
"I need your help," she said in almost a pout, and he could have about killed himself to get to her. "I never had to fix a cup of coffee before."
"How do you like it?" he managed to stutter out as he pulled one of the cups from its designated slot, without ever removing his eyes from her.
"Extra sweet and extra blonde," she decided with a slightly tilted head, a childish grin, and pale, green eyes that gazed up at him.
She was delighted to see that he had enough of his senses to smile back at her, while it also tickled her to watch him fumble around with the cream and sugar, as he tried to fill her request. The way that he overflowed some of the coffee onto his hand as he stared at her, caused her to giggle in a way that, in the first instant embarrassed him, while only causing him to desire her more in the next.
"Thank you," she whispered with sensual eyes, and that same smile, as he handed her the cup without much noticing the burning sensation on the back of his hand.
"Any time," he told her as she turned, and walked out the door with a sway that was unfair to any man, and it would take hi
m days before ever realizing that she never paid for it.
As the glass door closed behind her, she held the cup with both hands, and drew it to her full lips. The taste of it was so consuming that her eyes softly closed as she drew in the sensation, and for a moment, it brought warmth like she had never felt.
Opening her eyes, she smiled once again at the man at the pump, who was now sitting in his car, and she gave a tiny wave with her tiny fingers.
This time he managed to respond, as he slowly waved back before pulling away, feeling confused and stupefied. He and the attendant, however, would only take about an hour before they both realized that the gas was never paid for as well, while Viper would never think twice about either of them.
Sitting back in the car, she placed the cup in the holder, and slowly pulled away. She enjoyed the new experiences, yet now she needed to think about more serious matters, like trying to understand herself, and there was only one way that she could think of.
Parking a block and a half away from her destination, she began to walk the quiet street.
Suddenly her memory, at least how they had caused her to see it, brought back an image from her past. She was only thirteen at the time, but she remembered it like it was yesterday.
It was that of the first woman that he had brought into the "carnage room", and the image of her was still haunting. She had red hair, and blue eyes, and she seemed so terrified as she lied there on the floor, curled up, and trembling.
When she ran up to her, the woman looked around frantically, and seemed to notice that the man was no longer there. Though still terrified, she sat up, and grabbed Viper by the shoulders.
"Are you ok?" she asked her, though a thirteen year old girl simply gazed back at her with terror in her own eyes.
"It's ok now," the woman tried to reassure her as she stood to her feet, and began to wander about in the hopes of finding a way out. After checking both doors at opposite ends of the room, however, she realized that they were both prisoners there, without a simple escape.
Looking around more carefully, trying to finding something to help them, the red-haired woman noticed the nature of the room. It was death, and in the most archaic of ways. Not only did she see every possible, hand-held weapon recorded throughout history, she saw torture devices that had not been seen since the middle ages, outside of a museum.
Quickly she ran back to Viper, and tried to reassure her that everything would be fine, without ever believing it herself.
"Your time is about up," they heard a voice come from seemingly everywhere, and the woman quickly pulled Viper into her arms, as if she were her own child.
The woman glanced frantically around, as though he would be coming through the door at any moment. She noticed for only an instant, the knife that was plunged into her back, and straight through her heart.
It only took her three seconds to die, yet the look in her eyes seemed like an eternity to a thirteen year old child, as Viper slowly lowered her body to the floor, thinking that this woman, at least, had found a more peaceful way out…
"Hey, hot stuff," a young man shouted from across the street, staggering, and obviously intoxicated, which quickly pulled Viper from her relentless retentiveness. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Go home, and get some rest, prince charming," she shouted as she smiled back, and waved her hand with a gesture for him to continue.
"You want me," she heard him mumble as he staggered back on the path that would lead him to his own bed.
She found herself giggling once more, which was also new to her, for certainly there was none of that in the dungeon. Nonetheless, she now enjoyed the feeling of it, and she was not about to allow anything to chase away that feeling. This included her memories.
Something was about to change that, and it was the path of a thousand steps as she interpreted it.
As she approached the rather small, but fancy nightclub, she knew that its membership was exclusive. This was only an obstacle, for her true destination was upstairs, and that was where she would find the one, she could only hope, who would be able to help her understand why they wanted to make her the way that they did.
She stepped up to the large, double doors, where a rather large man greeted her. His head was bald, and she could see the tattoos reaching slightly above his collar, and up his sleeves, though the fine suit brought a little bit of class to his apish form.
"Madame Jasmine has requested to see me," she said with that same, charming smile, as her eyes looked up at him, while her head tilted slightly downward.
For a brief moment he hesitated, yet her beauty convinced him that she was telling the truth. He may have been very large, and he may have been gay, but he was not blind, and she was certainly someone that the Madame would have likely wanted to talk to.
"Be well," he told her as he opened the door to let her in, but as she gazed up at him, and passed by with an even brighter smile, he questioned his own sexuality.
Many heads turned as she walked into the room, decorated extravagantly with a tropical theme, and up to the bar. She knew that they were there, but they had nothing to do with her purpose. She was determined to meet the woman that had been her seduction mentor, and she could only hope to understand herself better, through her.
"What would you like?" The scantily clad woman behind the bar asked, before she could see the confusion in Vipers eyes.
"Is something wrong, pet?" she asked with empathy, feeling the torment that was going through her, yet Viper looked down with a desultory expression.
"Madame Jasmine wanted me to come here," she returned before looking back up, and into the mirror behind the maiden. "I don't know if I want to."
"Please, could you give me something tall?" Viper then asked, before returning her attention to her own fingers.
"Poor child," the woman comforted, before pouring her a Long Island. "The Madame is a kind sort, and if she wanted to see you, it only means that you are more beautiful than you think you are."
Viper bottomed up the tall shot, before setting it gently back on the bar.
"What if I make a mistake?" she asked, and then raised her eyes back to the attractive, though middle aged female.
"You are the prettiest thing to walk in here in a long time," the woman assured her as she made her way around the bar. "Let me take you up there personally."
"Saffron," she shouted out to the floor. "You've got the bar."
Taking Viper by the hand, she led her to a door in the back, and then up a flight of stairs.
"Don't be afraid, child," she assured in as reassuring a tone as there could be. "She is really nice, and she will make you feel right at home."
Viper stopped, and held her back for a moment.
"You are the kindest," she said as she finally locked eyes with her. "Thank you, for being so nice."
"Little one," the woman returned as she stood there empathizing with her. "Nice isn't what we do here."
The woman felt for her, because she seemed so innocent and uncertain. She seemed so young and confused, but she knew what her job was. Despite this, she was still overwhelmed with compassion for the one who was about to be caught up in, not only Madame Jasmine's web, but also the web of the government that was tightly woven within it.
Viper stepped into the room as the woman closed the door, leaving her there alone. Never had she believed that a room could be created in such a way, for she understood that the best way to seduce a man would be in his own room. This room, however, was designed for fantasy, and although she understood this well, she found it lacking, for men in love would tell you more than men in fantasy ever would.
"And who are you?" the Madame asked with a seductive tone, as she nonchalantly picked up a glass of wine that so conveniently sat on a pedestal, while entering from a room in the back.
She was tall, and slender, with dark hair reaching down to the back of her thighs, and a burgundy, transparent gown, which accentuated her perfect form. Then she gazed into the eyes of Vipe
r with a sensual smile.
"You are a shy one," she determined as she sat down on the sofa made more for comfort than it was appealing, while still being appealing at the same time.
"I need to understand myself," Viper said as she turned her eyes away. "They made me this way, and I need to understand why."
Suddenly, Madame Jasmine realized whom she had before her, though her demeanor did not change. Instead, she stood to guide the young lady over to the sofa.
"You seem so confused, child," she told her as she rubbed her hand softly down her back. "What troubles you?"
Viper thought about this for a moment, for that was a question without end. Everything that they had taught her was troubling, and every feeling that came with it was equally so. How could she possibly explain it?
"Little one," the Madame whispered as she ran her hand down the length of her long, blonde hair, only to settle upon her waist, "You shouldn’t fear anything."
With her other hand, she turned Viper's cheek to her, and softly kissed her lips, before withdrawing them slowly.
"They gave you the ability to raise a man's hormones to a point that they had never seen, even during puberty," she softly whispered, while gazing lovingly into her pale, green eyes.
"You will also never age," she smiled with her head tilted slightly, "so it is only a matter of time before you rule all men."
The Madame saw the confused look in Viper's eyes, and she placed a hand upon the back of her neck, and gently pulled her lips back to her own. The spike that she now had ready to thrust into her spine, forever ending her confusion, she believed had gone unnoticed.
* * *
Charlie was pulled from his sleep by the sound of gentle sobbing. It took him a moment to realize where he was, but when he had, he knew who the sobbing was coming from.
Pulling away the cover, he sat up, and saw her curled up in the corner. He had no idea what might be upsetting her, but he knew that he wanted to comfort her.
Quickly he was by her side, yet when he touched her shoulder, she curled up even tighter.
"What's wrong, Kitten?" he asked softly, but when she turned, he was not prepared for the answer that he would receive.
