Patsy Murray

by Douglas E Roff

  Ryu asked if Adam knew Japanese sex practices; he answered yes in Japanese.

  He has also asked, “Do you know the Kama Sutra?”

  “Every Japanese teenage girl in Japan has a hidden copy somewhere. And other books too. I’ll lend them to you so you may pleasure me properly.”

  “I shall do my best not to disappoint.”

  “Practice makes perfect, as you Americans say.”

  “Today you get immense new knowledge. You may store or eliminate whatever you don’t like, need or want. Never share knowledge of the project with outsiders only those in this room. I will teach and demonstrate the mind thingy.”

  Zoia said, “That’s real? C’mon. Male BS.”

  “Do I hear a challenge?”

  “What are the stakes? What if I win? Or Lose?”

  “If you win, you get physical me as many times as you want while we’re on this Island and as long as we’re together after that. Your way; your choice.”

  “And you?”

  “If I win, I get the same prize my way.”

  Zoia said, “I like this bet less and less every passing second.”

  “Chicken?”

  “No. Apprehensive? Yes.”

  Adam and Zoia went into an adjacent room for privacy and locked the door. They were in the room for an hour with Zoia murmuring and moaning from low sweet sounds building to a crescendo to what had to be an intense orgasm. The episodes followed quickly in succession as if each experience was compressed in time. The ladies gathered at the door to listen in.

  When the two emerged, Zoia looked exhausted and a bit wobbly. She sat up in an overstuffed chair to catch her breath.

  “He wins. He definitely wins. Never bet about sex with this guy. He’ll be doing you all day and night.”

  Janaia asked, “What did he do to you? Drugs?”

  “No, he placed two fingers on each of my temples, moved them around into position, asked me to close my eyes then started this incredible exploration of my mind. It felt like he was walking down the hallway of my mind, with me, holding hands, checking each doorway, including where I keep all my erotic thoughts and memories. Then he plucked them, one by one, and made them come back to life. He added in some other very naughty experiences. At first, it was like watching porn, not that I’ve ever done that mind you.”

  “Of course not,” they all agreed, smiling.

  “Then suddenly I was in them.”

  “In them? In what?”

  “In the experience. I was one of the participants; sometimes with women, sometimes with Adam and other women, sometimes just with Adam. It was positively mind-blowing. I had orgasm after orgasm until it was almost too much. Then when we got to the point, I couldn’t experience that pleasure any longer, we stopped. All the time, I could hear Adam whispering to me, not like a low whisper in my ear, but like right inside my mind.”

  “C’mon. Had to be a trick of some sort,” said Janaia. “It’s just not possible.”

  Ryu quickly said, “I’ll take up the challenge next. Adam St. James you are a fraud and a trickster. I demand my right to prove whether any of this is true or whether Zoia is just currying favor.”

  Adam protested, “Ryu, I would have thought you trusted me. And Zoia.”

  “I do. Completely. But I want to go next, ahead of these two, so I insult you and Zoia for purposes of trickery and chicanery.

  “Good word, ‘chicanery,’ and underutilized. Your English is excellent.”

  “You do understand that I believe everything you and Zoia said. What I said wasn’t true, I just want to push myself to the front of the line of the other scientists. Just pretend; I want what she just had, and I want to be next. Don’t be angry with me for false accusations, though if I need some discipline, we can make these unbelievers wait a few extra hours. I am receptive to all international sex practices, though, in truth, I’ve only read about most. I may be afraid of everything you show me.”

  “I shall be right there with you every step of the way. If you’re frightened, I shall feel it, and we can stop or dial it down. Just think of what you want, what you enjoy or wish to enjoy, and it will happen. Then, I shall take you on a special tour and introduce you to many, many exotic sensations from all over the world.”

  “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  “Of course.”

  “Will you marry me? Right now, today?”

  “If it is your wish. But let’s do our experiment first, and if you like it, we can talk marriage.”

  “Really. I am quirky, you know. Many fetishes and fantasies are mostly unfulfilled. Like I enjoy giving oral when someone is on the phone. Can’t explain it. Besides, there’s never been much interest in me from either men or women.”

  “I’m interested in you and greatly. If it is still your wish, we shall make plans when you are ready?”

  “Children?”

  “If it is your wish.”

  “And yours?”

  “I love children and lots of them. They keep us young when they are young, and insane with worry when they are older. We worry about them even when they’re forty.”

  “Ask me. Please.”

  Ryu Yamamoto, will you please do the honor of being my bride when we return from our session?”

  “Yes. Now, we’ll see you ladies in a few hours if I get my way.”

  Zoia said, “I get to marry you next. No need to ask, the answer is yes.”

  “Wow, did I get lucky today,” said Adam.

  “Hey, you, blondie,” said Janaia and Parinda to Adam. “We get a chance too after your next ride.”

  “Didn’t know you wanted a test drive.”

  “Well, Zoia is a good scientist. Can we go next? Or will you be too tired.”

  “Tired? Not likely. Not to brag, but I can have physical sex or both physical and mental sex together until you beg me to stop. We can do that experiment later tonight, too.”

  Three hours later, Ryu and Adam emerged from the room.

  “It was wonderful. The sex was amazing, and he is such a considerate lover, but he also took me everywhere, showed me everything. Our minds are amazing, and he is the master of his. I know everything about him, minus a few details he wishes to keep to himself, and I understand him. What he has done, why he has done it, what his good points and bad points are. The burdens he has borne for others, the sacrifices he has made. None of us except a very few have seen, experienced the pain and suffering he has experienced.”

  Ryu turned to face Adam. “Marry me now, this very instant. I no longer need a ceremony or a piece of paper for what we will build together next. Ask me again right now.”

  “Ryu Yamamoto will you marry me.”

  “Yes. She took a scrap of paper from Adam’s desk and wrote something. Then she signed it. “You sign right there.”

  Adam signed.

  Ryu was suddenly more assertive than ever. “Honeymoon every night in the second Garden Island for a week. We’ll work when we need to and do the other when we want to. Agreed.”

  “Like all my wives, you’re in charge.”

  “Good. All matters are now concluded.”

  Zoia married Adam next, followed by Janaia and Parinda in the same way as Ryu after each taking their trips with Adam.”

  “Is there time? For everything?”

  Adam said, “In our minds, we can compress time. I will show you how. We can live a lifetime together, create a new story of how we met and fell in love and have lives free from danger and stress. We can be normal, in our minds.”

  The ladies were speechless.

  “And the same is true of sex. We can have days on end of bliss in just moments, all seeming real.”

  “Why do some of your wives chastise you and make you unhappy.”

  “I haven’t shown all my wives all of me, and quite frankly they don’t approve of some things I do. But none of them are like you in the ways I most favor.”

 
“I don’t understand.”

  “You don’t anger quickly, don’t demand to know every detail of my decisions and, most importantly, like Ryu said, you seem to understand me. Maybe because you are scientists, perhaps because you’re just tolerant, or don’t care, or perhaps because so many matters I deal with have nothing to do with us. Some of my other wives think everything has to do with them especially when it clearly does not.

  “Not all my wives though. Cia and Eene leave me alone on the matters that don’t concern them and have seen in my mind what I have done, good and bad. I have known them a very long time in different lives. They accept me though they don’t think they understand me.

  “But my wives also believe that when I ask them not to do something, it is only a suggestion. It has caused problems, most notably for them. I’ve had to come to rescue them on occasion because they thought their judgment was better than mine. And I can be grumpy and thoughtless and self-centered. And difficult to work with.”

  Zoia said, “Sounds exactly like us.”

  “My point exactly.”

  “I will have Darii make flower crowns, and we shall have a small ceremony on her Garden Island. Need to make a respectable man out of me, you know.”

  “I will remain in residence on our island but will need to visit my other wives too.”

  Parinda said, “Why not have them visit us here? We’re all family now, and I have a great desire to formally meet your other wives and to see Darii again.”

  “I’ll ask.”

  “You could command.”

  “Not in this case. We must all be willing and consent to our arrangement.”

  Adam spoke to Saldana, Eene, and Cia. All readily agreed, thinking of the many and varied combinations of passion they could enjoy. They all made the journey to the residence on Island One.

  “I have an announcement to make. Tomorrow my closest friend and business partner arrives. Her name is Kalindra Wilson, and I want us all to be especially kind and considerate of her.”

  “Is she your lover?”

  “No. But she was recently married, but her husband died suddenly. It was a traumatic loss.”

  “An accident?”

  “No. I killed him.”

  Zoia asked, “Was that really necessary?”

  “You’ve seen everything in my mind. Tell me if you would have done any differently.”

  “I don’t approve of the killing, Adam.”

  “He was going to kill Kalindra. Then he would have arranged to kill everyone here, including all of you, and at the Mindwerks, excluding only Saldana, Darii, and possibly Torii. Does this change your feelings for me? This is how I am, the good and the bad.”

  “No, not in the slightest. I just don’t approve.”

  “I expect that no one here approves or likes this part of me. I am sorry. But I will kill anyone who threatens our family or our work. If anyone has second thoughts, I understand. It is an ugly business not worthy of the work we do. But it is necessary until our projects are finished. I never ask anyone to do this work, though the newly arrived Noki Lee has had experience as has Misti. My wife Niona isn’t a stranger to the same things I have done. They all have blood on their hands as does Saldana. I will never ask anyone to do a job I haven’t done, nor one that I wouldn’t myself do again. I do not ask any of my family to kill, for any reason.”

  “Where is Noki, anyway? She was here then gone. For that matter, I haven’t seen Patsy for a while either.”

  “Noki is on assignment with Patsy, which is all I’m going to say for now. They’ll be back when they’re back. Hecate is banished and shall not return, and Misti is now incarcerated, though she and Torii will remain here as guests. Misti is free to leave, and Torii is free to be thrown from the cliffs. Torri thinks herself in charge, and I believe, though I have no proof, that the technique used by Torii to avoid detection of her true intent was also used by Caleb and his three friends to defeat our security. This is impossible unless something else more dangerous is at play. There, we are all up to date.”

  “Why?”

  “Hecate wished to sever our bonds; she grew tired of mortals, this one in particular. Misti betrayed me along with Torii. Knowingly and intentionally understanding fully the consequences of what they wished to do. Misti admitted it to me; Torii thought it was none of my business.”

  Zoia said, “These are dangerous games, Adam. What if you are wrong?”

  “There need only be one mistake on my part, and we are all dead. That means I must be right every time. Do you not think this burden is without consequence? Do you not think I worry that I have made mistakes? If this troubles you about me, then leave. I fully understand that I am part monster.”

  Ryu stepped up to speak, something she was doing more and more as her self-confidence, and perhaps her newly perceived freedom to speak her mind, grew.

  “Husband is right, even if we think he’s wrong. If you wished to marry perfection, you should divorce him now, leave these islands and go in search of that mythical beast. I for one find him kind and caring and very patient with me, with my foul moods and anger at my failures and rages, which are not few. That’s when Adam comes to my side, in my mind, calms me and soothes me and hugs away my frustration. When he finishes up with me, I get a tender kiss, and then things are right with the world again. When you find a better man than Adam, let us know. We would all delight in his company, I’m sure.

  “If he decides that we are in danger, I would rather he act and be wrong than to be politically correct and dead. I trust husband and will not question his decisions. Those of you who do not believe as I believe should keep your thoughts to yourself and not share them with husband. Or leave. That solves everything.”

  Ryu’s voice was even but tinged with anger. She deeply felt the frustration that Adam felt with the constant complaining, criticism, and petulance she saw every day. She had walked in his mind and seen it in its totality, both good and bad. His burdens were now hers, at least to the extent that he would share his thoughts with her. In turn, Adam had a confidant, a confessor with whom he could commune safely.

  “If you think you can do better, set up shop elsewhere and we shall see how quickly you beg to return. You will own the praise and complaints as well as the successes and the failures. I pray for you to be more successful.”

  Chapter 30

  Adam said to his Professionals that he wished to discuss the progress they were making. From their interim reports, it sounded very much like they were already done with most of their work and could start pilot projects at any moment. He likewise had news for them.

  “So, Zoia as the group leader, tell me what progress have we made? From your reports, it appears we are close to finishing the R&D phase and ready to start building out and Beta testing. Am I getting ahead of myself with too much exuberance and pure joy?”

  “No, but we have a couple of things we need to say first, and I doubt what we will do much to improve your mood. We’d each be happy to have sex with you first if you’d like.”

  “Get on with it, please. Not that I’m not tempted …”

  “Well on the basic R&D, we have moved ahead much quicker with some outside help: design, materials, power generation and new software enhancements. Together there will be less downtime, less cost, and easier maintenance. The new materials design is very exciting, and nanites can be rotated automatically almost like skin replacing skin. The nanites themselves have been improved significantly so that they function more efficiently and we can now use less costly materials where appropriate. The net effect for the tunneling and the dome capabilities is just better overall. The domes themselves are now more durable, more transparent or opaque, as required, and can withstand almost any amount of either pressure or concussive force. The same materials could be used for your plans for underwater cities.”

  “There’s more?”

  “The basic architecture is the same. These are largely just enhancements a
nd improvements. There, all good.”

  “Can you excuse me while I go outside for a moment?”

  “Sure. Not feeling well?”

  “No, I thought I’d just take a moment to find my pistol and shoot myself in the head.”

  “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Please tell me it was Alana or one of the nerd girls that came up with this.”

  “Well, that’s the part we thought we’d skip if you don’t mind.”

  “It was someone who went home? Or one of the other nineteen still here?”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Who?”

  “Torii.”

  “You gave her access to all our plans and R&D?”

  “Yes. But why wouldn’t we?”

  “Perhaps because I didn’t approve it? When my other project is over, she leaves with all our tech? Do you have any idea how dangerous that will be? Weapons, massive layoffs, disruptions of the world economic order. Are you fucking kidding me! You decided on your own to talk it over with the one woman who may still be a spy, a danger to the world and someone I now have incarcerated?”

  “We didn’t think …”

  “That’s right. You didn’t think. You failed to follow protocol. Again! If Torii came up with all this, then tell me, why the fuck do I need you?”

  The room was silent.

  Adam said, “Meeting is over. I can’t trust you with my breakthroughs. I can’t trust any of you at all. Once again, fucked over by the women I trusted most. Get back to work and don’t expect me to be anywhere near any of you any time soon. Send me memos.”

  Zoia said, “Fuck you and all your stupid rules. We can’t be expected to know who should know and who shouldn’t.”

  “I said, and I quote, ‘Do not under any circumstances share any of your R&D work product with anyone without my specific written approval.’ Is that the part that’s confusing you?”