Three to Get Ready

Laura got up out of the pool and lay next to mark the cool stone feeling refreshing after being in the hotspring. “Thanks, for the warning about cumming down my throat by the way. I’m glad you’re considerate about that.”

“How did you, where did you learn that? And How did you take that into your mouth.”

“Practice, the internet and practice, I trained to control my gag reflex. Though that was bigger than I’ve ever had before. Also I’m pretty sure that was the best sex I’ve ever had. Your dick is literally unfair.”

“You said that before. Also the best sex you’ve ever had, yet.”

“Well it bears repeating. Seriously half of the time I got to get the guy to finish me off and they can’t get it up a second time.”

“To be fair we are using a magic recovery potion to speed up how fast it will get up again. But I will say I can usually go for a second round in five to ten minutes. A third round I’ve tried but it was never very successful. Honestly that was probably my best sexual experience too.” Mark rested his head on Laura’s shoulder and she put an arm around him.

“Then why do you have this… I’m not sure what to call it, sad and disappointed aren’t right but regretful maybe, look on your face.”

“Huh? Oh don’t think for a second I regretted any of that. It’s just you’re the third woman I’ve had sex with and well, I’ve never felt this good.”

“Really? Third, Huh? Obviously Allie and then I guess an ex-girlfriend? So you don’t consider Oral to be sex?”

“You’re correct about Allie and my former girlfriend, and I mean it’s definitely a form of sex but I meant intercourse. Even then that only would knock you down two places.”

“So Sam… and…” Laura thought for a moment. “Merida.”

“How you’d figure, Merida?”

“She got a rather large spike in points on her date with you fairly early too, it must have been sexual in nature.”

“Okay fair enough. Yeah.”

“And you’re feeling this remorse or something because…”

“I’ve been with Allie for nine years and the only thing that came even close to this experience was our date night together. Still not as good.”

“Ah, I see. So you’re feeling a bit inadequate about past performances?”

“A little yes. Sorry talking about other women on your date.”

“Don’t you remember? I enjoy women too, feel free to tell me whatever. But what about what you did with Sam? And Merida? Do you feel inadequate about that?”

“No, that's the thing with Sam. It… it was just so intimate.”

“Wow, do you fall hard and fast.”

“What?”

“Your expression, I’ve seen it before. You’re in love with Sam, which, damn, that’s fast.”

“I'm not in love with Sam,” Mark said in a calm voice. “Yes, I like her, but it definitely isn’t love yet.”

“Mark, I haven’t been in a serious romantic relationship before. Maybe we will have a romance, maybe we won’t. That’s possible right? Like I don’t have to end up as your wife and baby momma from the show right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Technically, I’ve seen roles where the person doesn’t even end up having sex with the Master or Mistress ever. But those are rare, but if what you want in the end is to essentially be my fuck buddy then yes, that is valid. But I mentioned this before, I'd like more than that.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear it. I don’t know if I want more, or not. But the reason I said you’re in love with Sam is I’ve gotten very good at reading when other people start getting those feelings. I can tell you love Allie very much. It's very clear. You feel a responsibility towards most of us. But I’ve seen the way you look and talk to Sam. The only other person you talk to like that is Allie. So, if you aren’t in love with her you’re very close, just something for you to think about. I’m getting back in the water to relax. The stone was nice but I want something warm. Join me?” Mark nodded and slid up next to her in the water. Just cuddling in the hot spring.

Mark thought about what Laura had said, and then stood up suddenly realizing something. “Sorry Laura didn’t mean to move so suddenly but I just realized why you thought I was treating San and Allie the same.” Mark sat back down, resuming his place in Laura’s arms. “I bought Allie something on our first day. When she helps one of you move towards being my wife, she forms bonds. The stronger those bonds the more I treat them each equally.

“So because you love Allie, you’re starting to treat Sam the same way because Allie has been helping Sam become a better partner for you?”

“Essentially yes. It’s why I’m acting like that. It’s ****, but it is why I can’t say that I don’t have those feelings for her yet. I like her a lot but it isn't love yet.”

“But you see it leading there?”

“I mean, yes. If things keep going like how they are. Ideally, I would like to reach that point with all of you. With things being as they are, what would your ideal situation look like when this is over?”

“Hmm, well… I would like to have lots of good sex for sure. Be able to do something exciting regularly. I’ll be honest I’m not thrilled that my partners are going to be so limited. Because something tells me that we aren’t going to leave here able to have relationships that would make you truly upset.”

“That is a fair assumption and I’m sorry about that.”

“Not your fault, really. I will say, if sex is always like that, well… Then I can settle for one dick for the rest of my life. I wasn’t joking, that was great sex.” They sat there for a little while just enjoying the water and being near one another. “Mark, right now is there anything I can do to help take some of the stress off you? Besides just sex I mean?”

“Ummm, probably? What brought this on?”

“I feel sort of bad for causing a whole mess this week. I’d like to help reduce some of your stress.”

“First Laura, look at me.” Mark reached up and took her face in his hands. “You are not to blame for that. Understand?”

“But I could have not done that.”

“Don’t care, you aren’t to blame. That’s on Cassandra end of story. She could have asked for something else, but she didn’t. I’m just glad she only has one favor left.

“Right you said you bought one off of her. So, do I have to do you a favor now instead?”

“Yes, that was part of the deal. I have to call it in by the end of the second challenge.”

“Well that’s not too bad, just ask me for a blowjob or sex or something else like that.”

“Can’t do that. You mentioned that I played Cassandra this morning, which is fair. But I only did that because she played me first yesterday when I bought the favor.”

“What do you mean she played you?”

“Cassandra said I have to call in the favor for something that would be equivalent in scope to the value she places on the favor. Not the value of the favor itself.”

“So, what? It has to be something big? But I didn’t owe her a large favor, I would assume the same is true for you?”

“Yes, I can kind of tell what can count, but sexual things aren’t likely to unless they push your boundaries somewhat.”

“I don’t really know what those would be that wouldn’t simply cross my boundaries.”

“I’ve already found one.”

“Really I’m actually dying to know, because I can’t think of any.”

“Risky sex. Turn off the fertility decrease and let what happens happen.”

“What!? You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I can tell that I could definitely ask for that and you would have to do it. Moreover it wouldn’t be like for one time either. Like I think I could push it for a few rounds if I really wanted to.”

“Please don’t ask for that.”

“I’m not going to. But you wanted to know an example that would push your boundaries that satisfies the favor.”

“Mark, can I ask what you changed with Talia?”

“Huh? Oh sure. Kind of a big topic shift, but not a problem. In addition to the changes at the sleepover, I made her ideal relationship polyamorous, she’s a shortstack which I’m sure you noticed, she shares my TF fetish, loves animal girls, and accepts her wants and desires.”

“Wait, so not only is she pansexual her ideal relationship is one with multiple partners now?”

“Yes. I thought it would be helpful to her in accepting sharing me with the others and maybe allowing her to find something with one or more of you as well. I had considered making her ideal polyfidelitous but realized that would be an issue because she would want everyone involved with everyone else, if the interpretation ended up being rather rigid.”

“So… Do you think I have a chance with her then?”

“Absolutely!”

Laura squinted at Mark, “Okaaay… What did she tell you?”

“Well… I’m going to consider this asking, so…” Mark shrugged. “Talia had legitimately considered having me step out of the cottage to ask you to come inside for a threeway.”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU COME GET ME!” Laura’s face flushed bright red from her reaction

“Umm… Wow, that was a stronger reaction than I expected. Talia thought she would regret having sex with me because she got horny because I made changes to her. She also wanted her first time with me to just be us. But she did say that she isn’t opposed to the idea of you joining us sometime. Just not right away. Now… Care to tell me why you were so excited?”

“Mark…” Laura said, getting all serious and placing a hand on his shoulder. “You have great taste in women.”

Mark didn’t really have a response to that and just blinked a few times. “That can’t be all. Please don’t joke, and be honest with me.”

“Okay… well I might like Talia beyond a physical sense. I honestly thought we would mix like oil and water, but even before the changes we got along great. Now… well. Do you think I have a chance? Like, more than just sex?”

Mark burst out laughing at her somewhat nervous response. “Oh, Laura. Assuming you are willing to actually work at having a relationship, yes. I mean Talia kissed you right?”

“That was just to get her voice back.”

“I could believe that with the milking incident. But really? With everyone there, including myself after the sleepover, she snogged you.”

“Snogged? Who says that?”

“Her words. Her family is British so it makes sense to me. She might just have said that because she kissed you but Talia was super smart at that point. I say that because snogging is typically more than just kissing you like full on make out session and cuddles or it’s to kiss amorously and passionately.”

“Wait, are you saying that Talia kissed me because she likes me?”

“I think that would be the case. Yes. Why kiss you instead of just walking over and kissing me? Like there was plenty of opportunity to do that. Also tell me did she kiss you this morning? Because she was talking at breakfast, and I didn’t kiss her, so one of you must have. Actually that was true yesterday as well wasn’t it? So was it you?”

“Yeah… it was.”

“And she wasn’t rooming with you, so it isn’t like it’s because you're the first person she sees that day and is doing it for convenience. She specifically went and found you to kiss. It isn’t like Sam would have refused to kiss her, had she requested it. Also with your height difference it isn’t like you are the easiest for her to kiss either. So yes, I think it’s probable that she likes you to some degree.”

“That… why did I not realize that?”

“Because love makes people blind and do dumb things.”

“I’m not in love with Talia.”

“No but you are clearly infatuated with her. Which is the first step to loving someone. Just talk to her about it. Maybe, you should wait until after the challenge just to let Talia get used to her changes and not put something else new for her to deal with right before the challenge.”

“Thanks, I’ll do that. Speaking of the challenges, any thoughts, you’d like to share?”

“Not much beyond what I already told everyone. It will likely either be sexual, push you to do something that would make you a better harem member in my view, or try to break you down making you more willing to accept being part of the harem and competing on the show.”

“I remember but like what, would those look like, I can’t really imagine what those might be really.”

“It varies wildly, to be honest, but don’t expect something simple like each of you gives me a blowjob and you’re ranked on that. For the better member of the Harem, well I’ve seen dates being used, cooking challenges, a beauty pageant with different sections.”

“What about the last one breaking us down?”

“Well… there are a few different ones that come to mind but the idea is to push you to do something that you wouldn’t normally do. That’s true for all of them but like these push you to cross lines that you normally wouldn’t cross. They are meant to **** you to make tough choices. They are also meant to create rivalries and drama.”

“Isn’t that counter productive to making a cohesive harem?”

“Depends on what the goal really is. Remember the goal is for you all to have a place in my Harem not for you all to be equals in it. It could end up that way. But it doesn’t have to, especially if one of you ends up eliminated.”

“Do you think that’s likely to happen? One of us being eliminated”

“No, I don’t. I’ll do everything in my power to prevent that too.”

“I’m glad to hear that, now we go sidetracked from the question I asked you, is there something I can do to help take something off your plate, so you don’t have to worry as much.”

“Help Flora with her problem. It’s a serious issue and needs to be dealt with but it’s hers to share. The only other immediate issue I’m currently seeing is with Chloe, can you explain what is up with her? Like I don’t get it. I mean I sort of do but not really.”

“Well I’ll talk to Flora tomorrow. As for Chloe… How much do you know about her family?”

“Not much just that, apparently her parents are a touchy subject and that she doesn’t consider them family. Just her siblings and Aubrey.”

“Well, I guess you got that from Aubrey, and if she didn’t elaborate on her parents I’m not going to. But, Chloe is the oldest of five. Her family was not in a good place financially, ever. I’m honestly surprised she ended up going to university, because even before she was an adult she was helping put food on the table and keeping the lights on at home. She would go to the food pantry regularly to get what she could. She was close to contacting CPS multiple times both before and after she became an adult. Stuff happened. Eventually she legally adopted her youngest two siblings so they wouldn’t wind up in the foster system.”

“That’s… rough. I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“Yeah, so, some of that has led her to be very concerned about money so much so that apparently she got a Debts path. She is also rather practical and fiercely territorial about what she considers hers.”

“Okay, but I don’t get why she’s being so hostile about everything.”

“Look, I said she is practical and that’s true but she can sometimes be incredibly dense about her own feelings, because they conflict with that practicality. Now I’ve only heard this second-hand as I graduated right before this happened. There was this girl back in college part of the sorority that Chloe, Audrey and I were all a part of, I think her name was Sadie. Chloe was clearly crushing on some guy, no one knew who and she denied that was the case. Sadie asked him out which ticked Chloe off, even though Sadie never actually went out on a date with the guy. Apparently he was dating someone else at the time.”

“Wait… Sadie… Do you mean Sadie Harper?”

“Harper… Yeah, that at least sounds familiar? You know her?”

“She asked me out during my junior year. I turned her down because I was dating someone at the time.”

Laura’s eyes went wide and her mouth formed an ‘oh’.

“Yeah, ‘Oh’ is right. But please continue with the story, we’ll deal with that revelation later.”

“Right well Sadie apparently asked you out, you said sorry I’m taken. But Chloe and Sadie apparently started getting into this huge thing of one-upmanship and hazing one another. Thing is for a long time no one really knew why the two hated each other so much. Like they weren’t best friends like Chloe and Aubrey, but were friendly enough, and then they just started going at each other like feral cats. Eventually their mutual friends stepped in and sat them down and figured out why the hell they had a problem with each other. Going back and forth until they came to the root of the problem, which was that Sadie asked out a guy that Chloe mentioned to her she was interested in. People chided both of them for letting some boy cause such a feud. Apparently it didn’t end there, because at that point Sadie and Chloe had completely fallen out and Sadie then… Well she said something rather mean, about you and Chloe.”

“I’m a big boy Laura. I can handle some insults.”

“Sadie said the only reason she did that was to try and get Chloe to actually ask you out, out of jealousy. Because she would never have asked out such a poorly dressed dork with a slanted face,” Mark reached up to touch the larger of his two ears. “If she wasn’t trying to help, and Chloe should have been grateful to her because then she didn’t embarrass herself by getting shot down herself, by some loser. Aubrey actually believes that Sadie was actually interested as well though. But never actually mentioned you. Are you sure you're the guy?”

“Well the time line fits that’s for sure. You were two years ahead of me and Chloe, so we would have been juniors right after you graduated, and Aubrey would have been a freshman. I started dating someone just before the end of sophomore year and that ended near the end of junior year, and Aubrey not realizing it was me makes sense as I didn’t get to know her too well until after first semester of my junior year. Sadie Harper, absolutely asked me out, and she was a member of your sorority.”

“Shit…”

“I mean outside of knowing that she had a crush on me back then does this really change anything?”

“Mark… I don’t think you understand just how territorial and protective she is, over what she considers hers. That’s part of why she got hostile at breakfast, because you could invade her privacy. When you mentioned her TFs I think she assumed you had wanted to be consulted on the change where she doesn’t think it’s your business. As for Freya…” Laura glanced away from Mark not wanting to meet his eyes.

“As for Freya, what?”

“Well, Chloe essentially sees you as her future partner, at this point, and she doesn’t get a say. Which I’m sure pisses her off, a lot. But if you are her partner, you are hers. She knows that the rest of us are in the same position as her and at least for now isn’t going to try to tell us to shove off because of the consequences. But someone who isn’t facing those consequences like we all are? Someone who wants to take what’s Chloe’s. Yeah she isn’t going to take that lying down. I’m not entirely sure Chloe is in the wrong about everything she said to Freya either.”

Mark took in a deep breath, “Laura please tell me you aren’t actually suggesting that I add Freya to the Harem.”

“FUCK NO!”

“Okay good. Now could you explain what you mean by that.”

“Look I don’t think Chloe is wrong to tell Freya to shove off, at least right now. We are in real credible danger and have no say about really being with you. If Freya tries to be intimate with you especially while you are here on the show, she is an actual threat to us. One we essentially can’t do anything about. I’m not in full agreement that Chloe gets to dictate that you can’t have a relationship outside of the harem, but I do think that all of our opinions about that should matter to you. But after the show if you wanted to pursue Freya, and she was interested. I would tell Chloe to fuck off. If it was someone else back home it would be a case by case basis. Freya though is bound to you too. Not like we are but she is still yours too.”

“That’s… fair. Thank you Laura.”

“Sure. Also seriously. Do. Not. Add. Freya. To your Harem.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

Laura gave Mark a withering stare, “Mark, I realize you were under a magical impulse at the time, but it wasn’t a compulsion. Are you really telling me you aren’t tempted? Because you were more than just contemplating it you were eager to add her. Within a second you had your phone out looking through the BP store for a way to add her. Then you were going to ask her to join, over text.”

“No I wasn’t. I was going to call her.”

“That actually makes it worse, because as you have said you have phone anxiety. Also you didn’t deny anything else I just said. My point is seriously be careful, don’t do it on an impulse. Frankly, don't do it at all. But definitely don’t do it on impulse.”

“Laura, thank you for helping me keep my head on straight.”

“Anytime Mark. Now let’s get out, get dressed and continue our date.”