Encounter in Atlanta

by Ed Howdershelt

else to think about." Andrea's gaze narrowed slightly. "You drove here?" "Yup. Thought I might need my car and I don't want to go through the anti-terror hoops and barrels at airports." She seemed to consider matters -- particularly the matter in the middle of Cade that was stiffly pointing at her by that time -- for a few moments, then she said, "We could stay here another night or two. I'd rather not take you home with me because the neighbors... well, I'd just rather not take a man home with me." Shrugging, Cade said, "Yeah, here's good. Or I could drive halfway back and get a motel room, then finish the drive Tuesday. That will get the car and me home and still give us plenty of time to work on enhancing my conversion." "Why use euphemisms?" Andrea asked irritatedly. Cade stopped in mid sip and looked at her as he said, "I didn't. Isn't enhancing my conversion the reason she called you in on this? You don't know me from Adam, so..." "Yes," snapped Andrea. "Sure. You're right. That's why she called me." Striding to the desk chair and sitting down, she continued, "But it isn't the only reason I'm here now." She leaned to reach in the fridge and took out a soft drink, opened it, and eyed Cade as she sipped for a moment before speaking again. "You see, Cade, I like having sex. I mean, I really like it. Finding ways to get enough of it is a problem, because none of the converted men are near enough to just drop by when I'm horny and unconverted men are a waste of time. My women friends do more for me than unconverted men." "Ah..." said Cade with a nod. "Okay. Gotcha." "No, not yet, you don't. When Mandi told me that you'd -- achieved conversion -- and all on your own merits, as it were -- I was instantly interested; interested enough to take a week off and take over supervising your conversion for that reason alone. Then I met you and you gave me reasons to like you immediately. That doesn't happen all that often, either." "Um. Andrea, I still don't quite understand what happened in that shower. How did I get converted? I mean, I realize it had to be from nibbling on Mandi, but... then what? How?" "She didn't tell you?" "I'm asking, aren't I?" Grinning, Andrea sipped her drink and simply gazed at Cade for some moments, then asked, "You really brought her off all by yourself? No... 'help'... from her?" Tiring of the delay in receiving a useful answer as well as being the only naked person in the room, Cade said, "Yeah. All by myself. It's Standard Operating Procedure, ma'am; get 'em all wet and wound up and then lick 'em 'till they holler 'stop, please stop, I've had enough'." For a moment Andrea's face was somewhat stern, then her small smile became a small grin and she snickered. The snicker became a giggle, then an outright laugh. "I'll bet that last part can take a while sometimes." "Yeah," said Cade. He shrugged. "Some women never seem to wind down. Can't tell you how many times I've damned near sprained my tongue trying to get to a woman's very last one." Laughing again, Andrea said, "Tenacity. I like that." "Great. If you aren't going to tell me what happened or at least get as naked as I am any time soon, I think I'll head for a hot shower." "A shower might help those bruises. I'm getting to the answer, Ed." "So what happened to me?" "You triggered the release of a retrovirus. All women like Mandi have a small special gland that produces the stuff." "Converted women, too?" "Yes. We develop the same gland." "So when I nibble you off I'll get another dose. What then?" Shaking her head, Andrea said, "Nothing then. You've already been... dosed, as you called it." "Then why will having sex make the conversion better?" "Energy, Ed. Sex seems to help a convertee soak up energy and makes the process better somehow. A convertee who just sits on his ass during the first week will end up with maybe half the ability of one who screws his way -- or her way, of course -- through that crucial first week." Cade decided that he'd waited long enough for her to join him in nakedness and said, "Thanks for the info." He thumbed toward the bathroom and added, "See you in a while, unless you want to come get wet with me." Setting her drink can on the desk, Andrea smilingly said, "Sounds good. I'll be right there," and took off her jacket to hang it on the chair. Her skirt came next, then her blouse, then her half-slip and stockings, then her earrings and watch. "You women sure do wear a lot of stuff," said Cade.

  Mandi stood on the roof and watched Andrea poke Cade's bruises as she asked if her activity hurt. 'They seem to be getting along fairly well,' she thought. Leaving them to their own devices, she lifted upward at barely subsonic speed until she reached fifty thousand feet, then she poured on the coal. A scant few minutes later she backed her speed down to subsonic again for her arrival in Las Vegas and had a good look around the city as she landed. 'Well, nothing seems to be missing or broken,' she thought as she landed on the roof of a friend's office building and changed into the dress she'd been wearing in Atlanta. A woman without a purse doesn't look out of place in an office building. People tend to assume she works there and is just out of her office for a few minutes. Mandi strode to the elevators, rode it five floors down to Lew "Jackie" Jackson's office, and waved as she entered. "Mandi!" said Jackie. "You're back!" then he muttered, "Not to mention your front..." Grinning as she sighed at the remark, Mandi said, "I heard that. Been watching old Groucho Marx reruns again?" "Are there any other kind? The guy hasn't been on TV for quite a while, y'know. How was Atlanta?" Reaching into the fridge, she said, "It's still there." "All because of you, according to WNN." "Oh, there were a few others involved." "They didn't show anyone else hauling cars into the sky. Hey, some guy called me about setting up a Mandi Steele look alike contest. Was that your idea?" "No, but it worked in Atlanta. You'll meet the guy who thought it up in a week or two. He's busy converting, and I'm going to call him out here to help with fixing up our new digs." "Converting, huh?" He shook his head. "Shoulda known. Let you run off to Atlanta and you meet some young cutie and..." Sighing again, Mandi said flatly, "He's fifty-three, Jackie." Shrugging, Jackie continued, "Okay, then, some old cutie. How many is this one? Six?" "Only five. Don't try to make me sound easy, you putz." She sipped her drink and said, "Anyway, if he doesn't develop flight, I'll fly him out here and we'll get things started." Indicating the 'in' basket on his desk, she asked, "Any messages for me in that pile?" "Oh, all of 'em. Of course. Nobody ever calls for me." "You poor thing. But if I recall correctly, they aren't supposed to call for you." "Still... It'd be nice, just once in a while, y'know?" Parking her butt on the edge of the desk, Mandi began pawing through the pile of pink 'While You Were Out' slips and said, "Pooor Baaaby. Being my secretary isn't enough for you anymore, huh? Don't I pay you enough?" The phone rang and he answered it, then held it out to her as he said, "John again. I'll see you later, Mandi. It's closing time and I'm shooting league tonight." Nodding, she said, "Thanks, Jackie. Have a good night." Grabbing his coat as he headed for the door, he grinningly said, "Always do." Perching the phone on her shoulder as she riffled through the messages, Mandi said, "Hi, John." "Hi, Mandi. Alan's in charge of the Mandi contests now. You'll be hearing from him soon." "Already have, John. Thanks." "You talked to Cade?" "I did, and he's in Andrea's hands until the conversion is finished." "That woman can handle him, Mandi. Cade's a sucker for eyes like hers." "I saw how you looked at her, John." She snickered and added, "Sucker." Laughing, John said, "Yeah, all right, she got me, too. Any hitches or glitches?" "A few, but I think they'll work out. Unless you need him for something, I'm going to bring him out here to work on the base in a couple of weeks." "You know us. We don't always know if we'll need somebody 'till we need him. Or her. Thanks again. Oh, and I covered your butt about those melted video tapes. The report now says a machine malfunctioned and overheated." "You didn't have to do that, John. Those tapes were a message to some people." "Oh, your message got through, Mandi. I just fixed the official report so there couldn't be any official flak later. Is there anything else?" "You called me, John. That's my line." "Ah,