Abudctions and Introductions

Leah sat at the table overlooking the sunken courtyard, its circular bench laid out below her, watching and waiting for her mark to appear. After a while, on a hammock off near the hotel's reception hall, he did. She'd been following him in that way she had of seeing into the worlds they were abducting people from (and that was what they were doing, whatever euphemisms the producers invented to obfuscate that), watching as the producers went through the process of snatching him out of their world and bringing them to her own.

And suddenly, there he was; lying on a hammock across the pool from where she sat. His expensive slacks and shoes had been replaced by swim trunks and sandals, his dress shirt by a Hawaiian one.

"Over here, love!" She called, beckoning him.

After a confused moment, he seemed to collect himself, and began making his way across the cement stepstones that wound their way from the pools periphery to the sunken courtyard at its center. Leah took a deep breath. It was showtime now. Despite all the power she'd been given over these people, all the emotional control they held over them, and all the preparation she'd done to run the show and deal with its various contingencies, now was the moment when the unpredictable human element was introduced.

"Where am I?" He asked.

A sensible enough question.

"You're on my resort. On my show," She said. "Take a seat and I'll tell you all about it."

He did as she bid. That was unsurprising. In bringing them to the island, Leah knew that they held a certain level of emotional control over their new guests; a dampening of sorts that served to mitigate their disbelieve, and kept their reactions to seemingly impossible events at manageable levels. They'd be allowed enough freedom for the drama and trauma that drove such shows, but protected them from breakdowns or panic that might grind it to a halt.

"I...a show?" Jake asked, sitting across from her. "Who even are you, anyway?"

"My name is Leah, and I am the host of Harem Hotel, a TV show you've been recruited to," She explained, making a sweeping gesture toward the building around them, "This is my resort, and you are welcomed here."

"I've...never heard of that one," Jake said, shaking his head. He looked as if he was still waking up from a dream. "Sounds a bit racy for the networks. Is it some kind of cable thing?"

Leah made a face.

"It doesn't run where you're from. Too bloody boring, your people," She said. "Call this an...alternative reality. Another world, if you will. And if I might say, one a good deal more fun."

The words sunk in slowly, though he was starting to look gradually more alert. No panic, though. That was good. Still, he seemed unconvinced.

"I'm sorry...you're not making any sense."

Leah drew up some of her considerable power, and used it to give him a mental push in the right direction. She wasn't supposed to alter the contestants directly, not without producer approval. But she was authorized to take any steps necessary to keep the wheels turning.

"Just. Listen." She said in a deliberate, authoritative and ultimately power laced tone, "And I will explain everything."

She drew on her abilities to see into Jake's world, and anything she could use from it to draw a rational comparison.

"You're on a show a bit like the Bachelor," She explained. "A number of contestants are going to compete for you and your affection. But instead of dating or marrying you at the end, they'll be in a harem devoted to you. The winners in preferred positions, the losers in...less advantageous ones."

Now Jake began to look alarmed.

"I...wait! I can't be on some show! I have a life! And a job!"

"Don't worry, they'll wait for you," Leah said dismissively. "We've even fixed it up so that nobody but a small number of intimates will even know you're gone. You'll learn this yet, but we have a lot of power at our disposal."

By way of demonstration she willed a bottle of wine and two glasses to appear. She willed the cork out, the bottle to float, and and for it to pour a healthy glass for each of them. Jake washed in astonishment.

"What the fuck? Is this magic or something?"

"I suppose that's as good a phrase as any," She agreed. "I wouldn't worry much about the specifics, but the point here is that we here running the show are more than capable of making sure your life doesn't derail while you participate in it."

"Okay, let's assume I believe that," He said. "I don't want a harem! I have a girlfriend. And besides, I'm a modern guy. I don't believe in that kind of stuff."

"What stuff? Beautiful women at your beck and call? Being adored? Being pleasured?" She asked, watching him closely. She saw the stir in him that she was looking for; part discomfort, part arousal. "Of course you do, love. You're a red blooded man after all. Who wouldn't want that?"

She left out that he'd been psychologically screened during their selection processed. Not a misogynist, or even a naturally unfaithful man, but someone with large sexual appetites for whom indecision was akin to breathing. Kind and supportive enough to connect with the contestants, but unable to help himself in the face of temptation. Just another in the bag of tricks the producers employed.

Still, he didn't appear to be mollified by all this.

"But what if I refuse? What if I decide not to do this?"

Then the show is fucked already, and I am in a very deep world of trouble.

"I'm afraid that's not an option," She said instead, "We brought you here, after all. And you can't very well go anywhere without us. Besides, think of it as a fun little vacation."

"I have. A girlfriend." He repeated.

"Indeed you do," Leah agreed. "And in fact, she's our first contestant!"

Jake's eyes went wide again.

"Wait...You're telling me I know these people? The contestants?"

"Correct. After a fashion, anyway." She said. "And if you'll sit still and be a good boy, we can get on to meeting who's competing. What do you say?"

Jake frowned at her little rhyme. Tough crowd.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice." He grumbled.

But he complied, which was all that mattered. Very good. She'd leapt the first hurdle. 12 more to go.

"Excellent. In that case, let us meet our contestants."