A lion's den?

Author's note: Later in this week, the story will touch on darker themes that shaped the characters into being who they are when James meets them. The story will not go in depth on these issues, but if Christine's chapter or Amber's early chapters have been a turn off for you, I'm sorry, but there'll be more of that. The ending will be similar to other characters, though (lots of sex). I hope you can power through, if you don't like these topics.

Amber was still asleep. But I wasn't here for the same reason as last time. I plugged in her work laptop to let it charge, and began setting up her impromptu workplace for most of the week. Then, I gave her a wake up kiss. I hadn't noticed it immediately, but Amber had kept the ring-gag on for me. Bless her heart. I put it off for now, I wanted to talk.

"Good morning, master."

"Good morning, Amber. I set up your workplace for later."

"Aww, thanks master. I'll miss you throughout the day. Are you sure you can't stay?"

I had no real reason to leave Amber alone, but honestly, we were both supposed to work. So what exactly was the point of staying here? Having Amber tempt me all day might just make things worse at the job for both of us. And in the most dire of circumstances, I can just ask Donna to do something.

"Sorry, Amber, but my help could be required elsewhere in the office too. I hope you understand."

"It's okay, master. It's selfish to want to keep you for myself."

"Hah, and what am I doing, then, Amber?"

"I didn't mean to..."

"Don't worry, Amber, I was just teasing you. It's okay to have these desires. If you want to spend more time with me, just tell me. Actually, this reminds me of something... What will you do for Christmas?"

Amber was taken aback by my sudden shift in tone. "I-I don't know yet. Every other year I go to my brother's place and spend time with him and my... parents. But this year, I have no idea yet. What about you, master?" I could hear that hope in her voice.

"Honestly, not sure. My mom wanted to visit her side of her family, mostly to get her mind off, but I'm not sure she still even wants to do that, now that she is really happy here. I didn't promise to join her, because I feared the GRC stuff could keep me here."

"Would it be so bad to spend Christmas with your... toys?" Amber seductively pointed towards herself.

"Of course it wouldn't, Amber. I'll ask mom, maybe we can just spend Christmas together, as a weird family. More partners than relatives." We began to chuckle. "Well Amber, I gotta go. Work starts soon. I'm going to free you now, since writing with one hand is a bit slow."

"M-Master, I... tried to train for this."

"Did you actually train to be able to write faster with one hand?" She nodded. "You know what, Amber? I'll give you the key, and you decide based on what you like the most."

Before I left, I touched her breasts and ass again. "God, you've grown so much, if I had transformed you more, I'm not sure if I would have recognized you."

"As long as I please you, it's all good, master. You practically own me now, anyway."

"Don't talk about yourself like that, okay Amber? I love you the way you are, not just because I get to fuck you. You are so much more than just an object."

"Alright, master. But if you ever wanna try more freaky shit... I'm game. You have memory powers, you can edit our relationship too, right?"

"Maybe today in the evening, no promises though. I'll warn you ahead of time, too."

"Thanks, master. I love you."

"I love you too."

After arriving at work, Christine was already there, my train was a bit late. I was trying to decide whether greeting her was a good choice, when she simply said to me: "Th-Thanks for being lenient on Friday."

"It's okay, just promise me to keep going to therapy, okay?"

"I-I promise." Christine +9SP (-21SP) "Also... the therapist has agreed to keep everything under wraps."

"I'm happy for you, I hope things will go alright."

We were about to start our work, when Donna entered. "Hi you two, sorry for being late. Beth is away so I'm gonna stand in for her while she's gone. As well as I can, anyway."

Christine: "Yeah, we know. Haven't you read the email?"

James: "Congrats on your potential promotion, by the way."

Donna: "Email? Promotion? What? I've been in a spa resort since Friday afternoon and only got home later yesterday."

Christine: "Donna, what happened?"

Donna: "Ah well, if you're old like me and never really exercise, it's easy to be too rough on your body." She gives me a wink that Christine doesn't notice.

In the meantime, I pulled up Beth's email, and let Donna read it. Without much warning, Donna grabs Christine and me and hugs us tightly. I can see Christine's discomfort at being so close to me. "This is so awesome, I had hoped this would happen eventually, but so soon? I wanna celebrate this, we need to go out for drinks tomorrow." Donna +1SP (+100SP) Quest completed! Wait, so she just hadn't read the email. Phew, I was stressing over nothing.

James: "Are you sure, Donna? I mean..." I vaguely glance at Donna, hoping she gets the hint.

Donna: "I... But Amber isn't here, and I don't wanna go out on drinks with one of you... Christine, would it be fine if...?"

Christine was just silent and averted her eyes.

James: "You said tomorrow, right? If it's not a big hassle for you, why not let Christine decide tomorrow if she wants to come? It's just drinks anyway, not like you'd need to call them for a table." Christine +3SP (-18SP)

Donna: "Sure, I didn't mean to push you, Christine, I'm sorry."

Christine: "No worries, Donna."

With that, we went to work. I was researching for my new article. It was about headwear this time. When I had thought of clothing to use in a sequel, I realized that headwear had to be made into an article in early winter, right? I mean, sure, people wear summer hats, but it had to be now or I'd have to wait six full months. The city always had a pretty mild climate, but by late December, it was usually cold enough for snow, scarfs, earmuffs, and so much more to keep yourself warm. This article should be just in time for those buying late.

At least, I hoped that this would help boost the impact of the article, but I couldn't know until it was published. It's a bit scary to suddenly know that these articles determine the livelihood of my coworkers and myself. I didn't like being caretaker and maybe soon the owner of the GRC, but... it helped me in this moment. Gone was the pressure to keep my job, at least. With the continued popularity of my old article, I'll at the very least have a good impact on the office, even if I need to leave my post. It takes a bit of pressure off my shoulders.

I had finished my research for the article surprisingly quickly. Or maybe I had just lost track of time yesterday. I found headwear to be much more interesting than shoes as a topic, in part because headwear is one of the few pieces of clothing where men traditionally have a lot of options for looking stylish, too. And so do women, of course...

I wanted to start writing, but a break between research and writing usually helps. I clicked though my phone, until I got a message. 'Hello this is Helen, mind if we lunch early? I wanna discuss things with you.'

I sent her a thumbs up and went to the cafeteria immediately, she was already waiting. Did she know what her favor was going to be now?

"Who have you told about her actions?"

"If you mean that on Friday, nobody. Not even Donna."

"Is that how you're gonna play it?"

"Yeah, for now. I want her to realize and work on her problems on her own, and she seems to be doing that. Ostracizing her for her actions right now doesn't help."

"I knew I had a good feeling about you... But maybe you're a bit too nice. Don't let your guard down. Therapy helps her deal with her problems better, but if the issue is overwhelming, she'll just return to her usual self."

"Don't worry, I've got a noble lady protecting me", I say with a wink, and she smiles.

"I'm serious though, James. Make sure you or others never overwhelm her, okay? Amber's locked away until Friday, so that's one less issue to worry about, but maybe leave her alone for the rest of the day if you can?"

My heart sank when she talked about Amber. Did she know? I think Helen noticed my change in expression. "Why, I never took you for someone like that... Did Amber convince you?" I guess this is how mom must feel when I read her mind, huh?

"Relax, James, I don't judge. You two better have fun together while you still can."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"When you're getting older like me... The freaky stuff gets difficult, you know?" Helen +6SP (+22SP)

"Do you think exercise would help? Maybe I should start at some point."

"It never hurts to start, I'm sure all the women you pull will be happier if you look a bit more in shape."

"Can I ask you something, Helen? How much do you know about me?"

"Not a lot, honestly... I just have a good judgment of guys. It's all vibes, sure, but I was never wrong about how well the relationships of my straight female friends would go, which ones were the good ones and which guys they should avoid like the plague. You... seem like an excellent guy."

"Kind of a wasted gift on you, no?"

"Hahaha, kinda. But it still helps occasionally. I knew a bit of the game you're playing the moment you entered my office and started talking. And the more I got to know you, the more I understand. But there's one thing I can only assume... Let's head to the bathroom and let me find out."

"Uh... I..."

"You still owe me a favor, no?"