Janet

The Team Al bedroom was, functionally, no different from the Team Ruby bedroom on the other side of the floor. There was slightly more space given three beds instead of four, but otherwise it had the same oppressive feel of constantly being watched.

Still, Janet lay in the bed staring at the ceiling because this was the best refuge she had been able to find. Mallory and Ronnie had gone up to Michael’s suite and not yet come down, so at least the room was empty. Janet’s pajamas kept shortening or tightening whenever she touched them, leaving her in a tiny pair of white shorts and a cropped tee shirt, but at least her blanket stayed the same. She pulled it up under her chin to hide what she could, but sleep wasn’t coming.

There was a small knock on the door, and Janet reflexively said “Come in.” She’d really have preferred to remain alone, but her instinct was to be polite and she wasn’t quite able to turn that off. Yet.

Janet rolled her head over as the door opened, but from where she lay she didn’t see anyone enter. She sat up and mentally kicked herself for not realizing why, because in crawled Vivian on all fours, with her leash dragging on the floor behind her and an envelope between her teeth. Vivian was dressed in skimpy black underwear herself, which initially annoyed Janet on some levels. Sure, she’s dressed that way because she’s on the razor’s edge of elimination and needs to win over the fans. But come on, she gets to choose how she dresses and I’m stuck turning everything into trashwear! All manner of rationales flooded Janet’s head, but Janet had spent her life making excuses for other people and she was getting a little tired of it. Still, old habits die hard and Janet’s inner need to be helpful won out over her current desire to be petty.

“Oh my gosh!” Janet jumped out of bed and grabbed the leash. As soon as she did so, Vivian was able to rise to her feet and pulled the envelope out to hand it to Janet.

“Thanks,” Vivian said as she dusted off her knees. Janet winced at the carpet patterns on her skin, “One of the staff dropped this off a minute ago.”

“Do you know what it is?” Janet asked.

“They didn’t say, and I’m not opening someone else’s mail around here.” Vivian said. She looked a little guilty about that for some reason.

Janet sat down on the bed and patted a spot next to her. “Have a seat,” she said, so focused on the letter and its implications that she didn’t even notice that she’d given Vivian an order. The older woman slipped onto the bed and sat back on her heels, and it was only then that Janet realized what she’d said. “Is that uncomfortable? Sitting over there, like that?”

“No, but only because you ordered me to do it.” Vivian said without obvious complaint. Though Janet noted how she eyed up Janet’s lap as she did so.

“It’s not just about the lap thing, is it?” Janet said. Vivian bit her lip softly as she shook her head. Right, she thinks I’m gorgeous too. Janet was still into Vivian because of the first curse they’d put on her, but her recent drama had pushed all that to the back burner. And frankly she was getting a little pissy about constantly being made to like people or have them like her.

Which brought everything back to the envelope.

“This is gonna be the brainwashing, isn’t it? That I ‘won’ last round.” She said, and Vivian nodded softly. First place in the poll. Ok here’s the good news, Janet. You got first in the popularity poll, so everyone thinks you look like a supermodel. But wait for the really good news, it also means they’re gonna rewrite reality itself so you had an affair with Michael.

“Didn’t they mention that they wanted you alone with Michael? What’s this about?” Vivian asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe they changed their mind?” Jane’s eyes looked hopeful, but Vivian gave her such a ‘Seriously, girl?’ look that Janet dropped it immediately. “I asked Al for a total brain wipe. I told him to just make me forget everything and send me over to another season.”

“Wait… what? Why?” Vivian’s jaw dropped. “You wanted out? You’ve been frontrunning this thing almost since day 1.”

“Thanks to you!”

“Ok, I gave you a boost.” Vivian conceded. “But that wasn’t all me. You still managed to avoid everyone long enough for it to work, and you’ve been doing great since then! You cannot seriously be wanting to throw in the towel and go running to another season, Janet.”

“Isn’t that what you did to Michael?” Janet meant it to be a little mean, but Vivian didn’t flinch.

“Not at all. I saw another ladder and took the opportunity to jump up a few rungs. You’d be going the opposite way - you’d be the new girl, with no connection to anything or anyone, with no points. And if you don’t like what they’re gonna put in your head here, it would be far worse somewhere else. Trust me on that.”

“Not that it matters anyway, Al said no.” Janet flipped the envelope over in her hand a few times. She wondered if she could just rip it in half and toss it, but the consequences of that would probably be worse. Somehow it can always get worse. Janet gently opened the envelope and removed…

“A BINGO card?” Janet puzzled, turning the thing over in her hands to see if there was a note or anything else that was helpful. She passed it to Vivian, who rolled her eyes.

“It reads ‘BIG HO’. This has to be Al.”

“So now what?” Janet asked.

“I guess you’ve got to play it.” Vivian shrugged and handed it back. “There’s got to be a place to play Bingo in this casino.”

“Well let’s get this over with.” Janet groaned. When she stood to leave, Vivian perked up suddenly, in a way that Janet found endearing and uncomfortably enticing. This goddamned hotel. “Uh…Could you… Would you…?” Janet put the leash down and made doubly sure to phrase this as a request, even without that in her hand she wasn’t down with giving orders just yet. “Would it be ok if you came along? With me?” Janet asked. “There’s nothing on the card that says I have to come alone, and… No offense but he really doesn’t seem to like you. If you came, it might piss Al off.”

Vivian nodded eagerly, and her tongue flopped out as she did so. When she realized that it had, she quickly pushed it back in her mouth with one hand and growled, and then that embarrassed her further.

“Anything to piss Al off.” Vivian said. She checked her watch. “It’s after midnight, and I gotta do this once a day so…” She took the end of the leash and offered it to Janet. “Please take my leash and command me, if you wish it.”

Janet felt another surge of endearment to Vivian when she agreed to help, another byproduct of her mindfuck, and then to have the woman offer her obedience right in Janet’s own bed exacerbated things. If that pissed Al off even more… Janet thought, but she wasn’t that kind of person and redoubled her resolve not to be one. I’m not a cheater either… for now.

Janet took the leash. “Come with me, Vivian.” She said, and the blonde hopped off the bed onto her feet. Her tongue popped free again, and Janet thought about ordering her to stop. But Vivian just looked surprisingly happy about it, and Janet thought maybe she should cut the poor woman a break.

---

It took a couple staff members before anyone could direct her to the hall, mostly because they kept pretending not to know what she meant. Until Janet swallowed her dignity a little more and asked for the “BIG HO hall,” at which point they were led right to the door. Al was waiting outside as they approached. They had no idea how long he’d been there but he did not seem perturbed by the wait, which of course disappointed Janet. I’m on his team now, am I supposed to like him? Janet thanked herself that she hadn’t said that out loud, god forbid the Hotel **** a crush on Al into her brain to go with everything else.

“Awww, you brought Vivian for moral support. How touching.” He smiled as he opened the door and led them inside.

The hall seemed to be visually disconnected from the rest of the hotel in a way that Janet could not have predicted. Every other staff member in the hotel was young and attractive, and at least going through the motions of being happy-go-lucky as they frolicked around. The women here - and it was all women, at every seat at every cheap-looking card table in the room - appeared to be on the spectrum of bored to pissed off. All of them were smoking, giving the room a haze that even Al couldn’t match with his own cigars, none of their hair appeared to be its original color, and their skin looked like boot leather. It was almost shocking.

“Yeah, these broads are on loan for tonight. One of the other producers’ has got a thing for - quote - ‘very experienced ladies’. He’s been asking and asking, so I’m tossing him a bone here. A buncha old ladies was the least of it.”

“The least?” Vivian asked.

“It coulda been clowns, baby.”

“Fuck all the way off. I’ll stick with the hags then.” The entire room seemed to hear and turn to glare at Vivian for that comment, as one they took an angry drag off their cigarettes simultaneously. They hadn’t bothered to change, because who hadn’t seen it all by this point? Still, Vivian kept walking with her head tall, somehow managing to reclaim some of her haughtiness being led around in her underwear on an actual dog leash. I need to learn from her.

“Set up right here, baby.” Al pulled a chair out in the front of the room which faced the crowd, in front of it was a small lectern where Janet could place the card she’d received. Next to that was a large cylindrical cage hopper, about the size of an oil drum. The door to the hopper was open and pointed upwards, but the cage itself was empty. Next to that was a small contraption that Janet couldn’t identify, a black box about the size of a microwave, with a pipe emerging from the top and a small return tray at the bottom.

“Where are the balls?” Janet pointed to the empty chamber.

“In my pants, baby.”

“For fucks sake - Where are the bingo balls?”

“The what?”

“Where are the BIG HO BALLS?” Janet demanded, rapidly losing her patience for this shit. Vivian gave a polite golf clap at Janet finally slapping back at the hosts, but Al just kept on smiling.

“You’ll be providing them.” Ruby said. She was sitting in the first row of the players, facing the trio. Ruby looked terribly out of place alongside the staff members and she too appeared to be on the edge of exploding. Al must be in charge tonight, there’s no way she’d sit herself out there intentionally. And the way Ruby glared confirmed it.

“Tonight’s little game is gonna be all about you, Janet. If you’d have a seat, we can get started.”

Janet sat down in the chair and allowed Vivian to climb into her lap again. It should have been embarrassing, but Janet appreciated having someone close. Even if Vivian looked as though she was going to launch herself at Janet’s lips any moment.

“Now, let’s just get you fixed up properly.” Al said, picking up a small green-tinted dealer’s visor and pulling it onto Janet’s head before she could react.

“Hey! I- uhuuhhhuhhuhuhhh” Janet’s felt a jolt across her brain, and her eyes went glassy as the visor worked on her. Vivian tried to pull it off but despite the cheap plastic it appeared to be stuck onto Janet’s head rather tightly. A panel in the ceiling that could barely be seen through smoke opened above the hopper, and a huge number of small white ping-pong balls dropped from it in a flood, until the formerly empty hopper was nearly full. Once the flow appeared to stop, Al casually pulled the door closed and locked it, then gave the cage a few big spins to shuffle the balls around inside.

Janet came back to coherence to see Vivian holding her cheeks and meeting her eyes.

“Janet? You ok?!

“What just happened?”

“You got us all set up, that’s what happened!” Al said. “This little baby has got every one of Janet’s memories with Michael. Every time she spoke to him or interacted with him over her years of knowing the guy.” He gestured to the large cage, “As you can see… they’ve spent a lot of time together.”

“There’s nothing wrong with talking to him! He was my best friend - former best friend’s - dad!”

“Oh I was making no salacious implications…” Al grinned, because of course he was and always was. “Not about the true past anyway. The voters thought it was grade-A snoozer though, just a silly girl with a crush that never went anywhere. So we’re gonna pick a few of these memories and add some fun, whaddya say?” He slapped the side of the cage, causing a small door to open and one of the balls to pop free. He caught it before it hit the ground and held it up with his thumb and forefinger so that Vivian and Janet could see. On it, a small scene was playing. He waved his other hand over the ball, causing it to disappear like a simple magician’s trick. Now, the scene grew until the people in it were life-sized specters, as if a hologram was walking through the room. Al narrated:

“Take this encounter, for example. Just Janet and Michael passing in the hallway of his house. A distracted, lame-o Michael gives Janet a small nod and she says ‘Hello.’ Boring as hell, right?” The murmurs from the hags seemed to agree.

“Do you remember that?” Vivian asked.

“Not really.” Janet said. “Maybe that’s why it’s so ghostly?”

“Now let’s make things more interesting.” Al said, He produced the ball from… somewhere, and dropped it down the tube and into the mysterious black box, causing the hologram to disappear. The box made some very loud and very inappropriate squelching sounds. After about five seconds the ball emerged from the bottom into the return tray. However, now the ball was pitch black, with the HH logo emblazoned in gold across the body. When Al projected the memory again, it appeared so real it was as if Janet and Michael were physically present in the room.

“Now this time…” Al said, but Janet stopped listening. She watched herself - or something that looked a lot like herself - saunter across the room. This time, “she” and “Michael” made long eye contact. He wasn’t distracted in the slightest. This time, “Michael” said “Hey there, sexy.” And this time, instead of the small squeak of “Hello”, she - OH MY GOD - “she” reached out and cupped his dick! “Hey there yourself.”

Janet gasped, and the images faded as Al took the ball and casually set it in a small display rack on the front of the table.

“Better, right?” Al asked the crowd, and there were further murmurs of approval.

“Did you grab his dick? Really?” Vivian asked.

“I… guess I did? Like a few weeks ago?” Janet suddenly could remember doing exactly that. Clear as day. And not just from watching whatever panto show Al had just put on.

“Ya did, baby. That’s the magic of the hotel. Whatever you see up there is what happened. Or, in this case, what we made happen.”

“You’re going to corrupt all of those?!” Vivian pointed to the massive hopper.

“Nah, baby, that would take forever and doing just a few is way more fun.”

“Also, you’re lazy!” Ruby taunted from her seat in the crowd.

“I prefer efficient, but let Ms. Bottom of the Scoreboard say what she likes.” Al dismissively shook of the head. “Just pick a few at random and that should be enough to set this on a whole new course. But now that you know what’s coming…” Al drew another ball and dropped it in the machine, “this time, let’s make things a little more personal.”

As the machine worked, Al lightly flicked the side of Janet’s head and the world went dark.

Janet - Los Angeles

Two years before the premiere

Janet admired her new dress in the mirror of Mallory’s bedroom, a white one with a wide loose skirt. The Marilyn Monroe theme party was around the corner, and she and Mallory tore ass all over Burbank’s costume shops looking for the absolute perfect one to wear - in this case, the guy behind the counter was far too excited to tell her it was a replica of the dress from The Seven Year Itch, a movie Janet hadn’t seen and didn’t care to. It looked fucking great regardless. Janet fluffed her curls in the mirror, enjoying how the red flowed down her shoulders and lay across her bustline. Trent’s gonna love it. I mean, I hope he loves it. This thing cost a fortune and I don’t have a fortune to spare…

A gravelly voice echoed in Janet’s head, which she vaguely recognized. Ohhhh here’s a real good one, baby. Our sweet little Jan-Jan worked so hard to find a perfect little dress for a perfect little party to impress some loser. But our boy Michael gives her one tiny little complement and her heart goes pitter-patter for him instead! Let’s see what happens when Harem Hotel gets to put on some seasoning…

Janet shook her head and gripped the side of the mirror for support as the room felt like it throbbed for a second. That was weird. Like… and earthquake maybe? But it wouldn’t be just one wave. Janet looked around, expecting that something around her would have changed, but she couldn’t understand why she’d expect that and it was out of her mind before she could give it a second thought.

“What do you think?” Mallory lay on her bed, distractedly texting. “That the one? Because I’m not about to get back in the car today. The Hollywood freeway was ****.”

“I know, duh, I was there with you.” Janet laughed.

“You were yapping with Trent the whole time!” Mallory said. “Dunno what you see in him anyway, you’re like way out of his league.”

“Ha! Call it my charity work then.”

“Does Make-A-Wish offer redheaded blowjobs?” Mallory teased. Janet stuck her tongue out at Mallory and went back to admiring herself. Wait… Would Mallory really say something like that? Kinda weird of her. And me. Janet closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

“You good?”

“I feel kinda off.”

“You want some tylenol? I’ll get you some, chill right there girl.” Mallory said, jumping from the bed and hurrying out of the room. Curiouser and curiouser. Janet thought, but Michael entering through the open door pushed that confusion away. She flashed him her megawatt smile and he returned it. She suddenly felt rather warm even in the loose dress and fanned herself to with her hands.

“Usually the cooling air comes from below.” Michael leaned against the doorframe, attempting to look casual, and then hit her with that line. At least he’s cute. Janet thought. Very cute. She let her eyes roam unbound.

“I have absolutely no idea what that means, but I’ll take it as a compliment.” Janet giggled. The nagging feeling that this was wrong lingered, but Janet pushed that off again. It must be because it’s Mal’s dad. “What do you think?” She grabbed the dress and twirled in place.

“Gorgeous. Stunningly gorgeous.” Michael said, his eyes never once grazing the dress. “But you should do your homework if you’re gonna wear an icon. I always thought you were the good influence.”

“Maybe I’ve been the bad influence all along.”.

It worked. Michael took a step forward into the room, looking for a moment like he was going to pull her into an embrace. “Who’s the lucky guy?” He asked.

“It could be you.” Janet said, putting her leg up on a stool and slowly pulling the dress up to expose some bare thigh. Michael watched every inch like she was opening a treasure chest. Once it reached her knee, Janet gently tossed it down to let it cover her up again. But rather than breaking the spell, it only deepened it. Michael looked as though he was going to step forward again, but Mallory picked that moment to return.

“Hey guys…” She said, her eyes flitting back and forth between Janet and Michael with understanding and concern. “I got you some meds, Jan.”

“I’m feeling better.” Janet said, not breaking her eye contact with Michael.

Mallory slid between the pair to break Janet’s line of sight, and pushed the pills and a glass of water into her hands.

“Probably should take them anyway.” Mallory shot a glance over her shoulder at Michael, and he quickly spun on his heel and out the door.

---

“Janet! Janet!” Vivian was patting her face. “You went away again.”

“I was… in the memory.”

Vivian cocked her head towards the center of the room.

“That one? Where you practically eye-fucked Michael in the Some Like It Hot dress?”

“The Seven Year Itch apparently…” Janet corrected. “And if Mallory hadn’t walked in…”

“What are they doing to you?” Vivian saw Al not-so-subtly leaning in to listen to their conversation, so she drew Janet into a hug as to whisper privately in her ear. “Try to hold on to yourself.”

“I don’t even know how.” Janet whispered back. “It feels so real.”

“Bingo bango bongo, next one up!” Al said, as he dropped another ball in.

---

Janet - Santa Barbara

Twenty months before the premiere

“No, no, no, that picture was bad. Lemme take another one.” Mallory complained. She zoomed in on the selfie of her and Janet until she was practically examining it with a microscope, before divining some flaw that only her eyes could see.

“Come onnnnnn Mal, everyone else has gone up the hill to the party.” Goleta beach was almost totally deserted by now, but Mallory had a single minded need to get a bikini selfie of the pair of them with the sunset over the Pacific as a backdrop. And she would not be deterred by the fact that putting the sun behind them washed out the picture every time. Janet’s bikini had been perfect for drawing eyes in the heat of the day, but with no one left to admire it, she pulled her sarong up around her shoulders for warmth. Seeing Mallory no closer to finding her shot, Janet started collecting Mallory’s empty beer cans to toss before some campus cop came waddling up to ask for IDs.

“Ok, last two, I swear.” Mallory said. “Maybe three.”

“Two!” Janet put her foot down. “The wind is freezing my butt.”

“Then get your butt in the picture!” Mallory drunk laughed, which fell just on this side of endearing. Sometimes. Janet slid up next to Mallory to fit in the frame, then gently turned Mallory’s shoulders so that the sun was to the side.

“There, now we can see ourselves. Duh, Mal.” Janet laughed.

“Ok that is better. Now look hot, I’m sending this one to Daniel and I want him to think a three-way is in the cards.” Mallory pushed her boobs together as best she could, and made the best duck-lipped face that Southern California was prepared to handle.

“Hold on a minute, I’m not down for that.” Janet smacked Mallory’s shoulder.

“I know that, you dope, but he doesn’t.” Mallory said. “You gotta give boys a little hope. Come on, show me some cleavage and let’s get the shot.”

“You are such a tease, Mal.” Janet groaned, but she sidled up against Mallory and gave the camera her best flirtatious look, with just a little tongue licking her teeth for emphasis. Click.

“Boom, that’s the shot!” Mallory said. “I’m glad we turned, the sun is better that way.”

“I’ve been saying that for fifteen minutes!” Janet laughed and rolled up their towels while Mallory tapped away at the phone.

Janet perked up when she heard the gravelly voice, as if it was being carried on the sea breeze. Another charming little scene here, ladies. In this one, our resident drunken bimbo accidentally sends her sexy come on to her mom. After all, Danica and Daniel are right next to each other in the contacts list and beer does make it that much harder to read. So embarrassing! But what if…

Janet felt the unusual throb again. What is that?

“Shit.” Mallory tried to mash a button on the screen and fumbled her phone into the sand.

“What?”

“I sent that picture to Michael!” Mallory shrieked and stormed off, leaving the phone in the sand. “I was trying to send it to Miguel, and I hit the wrong name! I can’t even, I CAN’T EVEN!”

Miguel? Was that the guy she was crushing on? Janet shrugged. Must have been, why else would she try to send it? Janet picked the phone out of the sand and unlocked it. The last message was, of course, the two of them giving the camera some serious ‘Fuck me’ looks and Mallory’s caption ‘Two for one sale on hotties! Come on over! <3 <3 <3’ did not help matters. Janet’s own phone buzzed in her backpack with a new message…

From Michael. Janet’s heart fluttered a bit when she opened it.

I assume that wasn’t meant for me? ;)

---

Hahah no, Mallory was trying to hook up with some guy and hit the wrong button. You know how she is.

---

Haha that I do. She’s a wild one, no matter what her mom and I try. Surprised me that you were playing along though.

---

I’m full of surprises. ;)

The three dots popped up and hung there for a long time, long enough that Janet started to worry that she’d gone too far, and was going to get a novel-length talking to. Then they disappeared. Then they returned. And disappeared again.

He can’t decide what to say. But when his answer came, it was short and very clear.

Surprise me again.

If Janet thought her heart was fluttering before, it was a pounding drum now. Mallory was still stomping around the beach, angry and humiliated for coming on to Michael. Yeah, coming on to Michael is the last thing Mallory’d want to do.

“I’m gonna wait in the car!” She said, though Mallory was not in the mood to hear her. Janet headed for the parking lot, which was nearly empty by now thankfully. Mallory’s brand new convertible was parked way near the end, and since Janet had to dump an armload of beer cans in the trash on the walk here, she didn’t feel guilty about taking the driver’s seat and pulling up the top to wait for her.

‘Surprise me again.’ Janet felt as though she was on a precipice here. She had a boyfriend. Michael had a wife. He was twice her age. He was her best-friend’s dad. He was off-limits in every way a guy could be off-limits.

And then this.

He was hot. She was good-looking too, everyone loved to tell her so. But when Michael said it, it made her believe it in a way no one else did. She’d teased him plenty with that little dress stunt at his house months back, but they’d both kept it pretty chill since then. Long enough that Janet started to let her girlish crush fade a bit.

And then this.

Fuck it. I deserve this. Janet thought to herself. One last look confirmed the coast was clear, a deep breath to steel her nerves… Janet slipped the shawl up over her shoulders to conceal herself in case some one came walking by, then she pulled down the front of her bikini top until her breasts popped free. Stealing Mallory’s move, she pressed them together and made a kissy-face at her selfie camera.

Surprise!

Her fingers shook as she sent the photo. I’m off that ledge now. Janet thought. Either she’d fly or splat on the rocks. The wait was excruciating.

I like that surprise.

Janet was… mildly disappointed by that response. She wasn’t sure what she wanted him to say, but her ideal would have been more eager than that. No sense in getting chicken now.

I have more surprises. Let me drop Mal at this party and come down to LA tonight?

She read the words back to herself after she’d sent them and couldn’t believe they came from her own fingers. I just… offered to fuck him. It’s plain as day. What did I just do? Janet was near panic now. This could blow up everything. If Mallory found out, she’d have to move out of their shared apartment. Janet couldn’t possibly afford her own, even if she could find one this late in the semester. Did I just get myself kicked out of college for being too thirsty!?

The three dots popped up. Janet held her breath.

Not tonight.

There was a long pause, during which Janet felt very much like she was having a heart attack. Then… the three dots.

But next time you’re in the mood to surprise me - Yes.

Relief flooded Janet’s body, then a riptide pulled it back and left still more anxiety. The next time? Well, the next time she might actually go through with it. She was surprising even herself.

---

“I can see how this is coming together.” Vivian said, when Janet’s eyes re-focused on the present.

“How can they make me act like this?” Janet said.

Vivian looked away for a second, apparently in a memory of her own.

“They can make you do things, Janet, but they can’t make you not you.”

“I don’t know the difference.”

“You’ll have to figure it out, and fast.” Vivian said as she looked over her shoulder. “They are on to the next one.”

Janet - Los Angeles

Eighteen Months before the premiere

“Do I really have to be here?” Mallory whined. “You’re his wife, you take him to dinner.”

Danica sighed. “It’s his birthday, Mallory. Can you be pleasant for a single night?”

“For Michael? No.”

“For me then? It was a massive pain getting this shift off.” Danica’s exasperation was filling the elevator, causing Janet to slide towards the outer wall as if she was being physically pushed aside. Mallory smacked her gum, causing Danica to cringe. Mallory only ever chewed it when she was around Danica and Michael, specifically because she knew how it annoyed them.

“Fine, I can get through the entrée for you. But if he starts lecturing me about bullshit, I’m leaving before his cake arrives.”

Through the elevator speaker came that voice, which Janet suddenly realized she’d been waiting for. Awww whatta charming little family dinner for Mikey. But four’s a crowd, especially when two want to fuck without the other two knowing. What if we were to tinker with the schedules just a little bit… and voila!

Janet felt woozy and reached out to grab at Danica’s arm for support, but only got a fistful of air. Oh right, she’s at the hospital tonight. Janet thought. She gave me the reservation, I hope they’re cool with only two of us showing up. Janet thought. Once Danica was out, Mallory was an obvious no show. But Janet didn’t want to let the table go to waste.

Is that my reason? Janet asked herself. Looking at her reflection in the chrome elevator door, at the lipstick she’d chosen - a deep, deep soul-swallowing red that carried meaning, and the height of her hemline - her black dress was notably shorter than even the white Marilyn dress had been… No. It wasn’t about the table at all. Right? I mean, Michael knows where we left it and when I show up alone… I couldn’t be more obvious.

Michael’s office was fairly quiet this time of the evening. The cube workers had all gone home for the day, and there were only a few execs in the outer offices. She passed a closed door marked “Sarah Henderson” around which someone had wrapped yellow CRIME SCENE tape. Loud music could be heard thumping through the door. Janet briefly raised her fist to knock and offer to take Sarah, but she’d only met the woman once and Janet figured it best not to pull that tiger’s tail again. Why would I do that? She asked herself. It felt like the right thing to do, like the Janet thing to do, if that made any sense. Which it didn’t.

She turned to continue down the hall, but suddenly found a severe looking blonde filling it.

“Oh!” Janet jumped. The woman didn’t blink, then greeted her as warmly as a cobra.

“Hello.” She offered a hand. “I’m Vivian Knight, welcome to Axiomatic. Can I help you?”

“I- uh, I’m here for Michael.”

Vivian’s eyebrow raised higher than Janet thought possible.

“And you have business with him… at this hour?”

“It’s his birthday.” Janet said, realizing as she said it how dumb it sounded crossing her lips. She hadn’t even given her name and now she felt too humiliated to say it.

“I am aware.” Vivian gave Janet a full appraisal and clearly found her wanting. “Whatever business you have at this hour, it doesn’t need to be concluded here.”

“I’m… just taking him to dinner. I’m a family friend.”

“Without Danica?”

“She’s working.”

“Of course she is. She’s a very busy woman.” Vivian turned to re-enter her own office, but said over her shoulder before the door closed: “Whatever Michael does with his ‘family friends’ is not my business anyway.”

It was only after Vivian shut the door that Janet made the connection. She thinks I’m a prostitute! Her face flushed with anger and she wanted to bang on the door and lay into this obnoxious woman. Then Janet remembered that she was here with sordid intentions. She’s just jealous. Janet thought. That’s got to be it.

Michael’s office was several doors down, and Janet could not see anyone else on the floor. Her pride rebounded quickly after Vivian’s insult, and by the time she was opening Michael’s door unannounced, she’d already refocused herself.

Michael was sitting with his feet up on his desk, and a laptop computer propped on his legs. Whatever he was working on gave him a frustrated scowl, which Janet now very much wanted to wipe off his face and replace with something else entirely. Janet stepped inside and locked the door behind her, and when Michael saw her - and more importantly, when he saw she was alone - that scowl disappeared immediately. He smiled, closing the lid of his laptop and leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

“Well, well, well, what have we here?” Michael asked.

“Another surprise.”

“Oh? Is it ‘next time’?”

Janet didn’t answer the question directly. Instead, she slowly pulled her hands under her skirt and slipped her black panties down her leg and off, never taking her eyes off Michael as she did. She dangled them from her fingers, causing them to sway like a hypnotist’s watch as she walked across the room, then let them delicately fall onto his desk.

“It’s your birthday, and I brought your present.” She said.

“And you unwrapped it too, I see.” Michael pushed his desk calendar and all his other stuff to the side, giving Janet a path to climb right over the top and kneel on his desk. He pulled himself closer and tucked his feet underneath, gently pulling her face to his eye level. She’d been intending this outcome all along, but she let Michael initiate the kiss - her first real kiss. Is this how it happened? Janet thought. But that question didn’t make sense in context and - crucially - her crush was tongue-kissing her at the moment, so she let that one go.

“You’re so incredible…” Michael was able to whisper. With one strong move, he reached around under her skirt, grabbing her bare bottom with both hands. She squealed in pleasure as, with little effort, he pulled her forward off the desk and into his lap. She felt his cock pressing through his slacks, and grinded her bare pussy on it, teasing him and leaving a smear of her juices as a sign of her own feelings on the matter. Michael took her face in his hands, softly caressing her cheeks with his thumbs.”I just can’t believe that you even exist.” He said, causing Janet to blush, but also causing Janet to grind harder. He moaned and closed his eyes for a second, but pushed back long enough to continue. “You’re so goddamned beautiful, Janet. After you sent those pictures… I couldn’t get you out of my head.”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“I wasn’t ready to take the risk, I guess.” Michael looked sheepish. “I love Danica…” Janet paused at the mention of her name. “And I convinced myself you were playing tricks on me.” Michael said. “It was easier to accept than thinking you might be serious.”

Janet’s brain felt like her brain was being pulled in two opposite directions. Danica… I can’t do that to her. But I’m not doing anything to her, this is about Michael and me. But what about Mallory? Who cares about her? She gets what she wants, why shouldn’t I get what I want? This isn’t right, this isn’t how this happened. This is how I’m making it happen. Janet felt as though the tug of war inside her mind intensified until something started to give. A feeling that she was being led in one direction grew stronger, inescapably strong, dragging her towards Michael. Underneath it was a smaller feeling -that she was somehow being pulled away from herself at the same time. That little feeling shrank and shrank until it popped out of existence.

Janet grabbed a fistful of his shirt and rocked her hips forward, dragging her crotch along his erection as she pulled him into another french kiss.

“I am serious.” She said when she came up for air. “And I’m worth the risk.”

That was apparently what Michael needed to hear. He stood, lifting Janet until she sat on the edge of the desk and then gently laying her on her back. In a flash, his pants were down around his ankles. He took her hips and turned her around, bending over her the desk, then he pulled up her skirt to expose her very, very eager pussy.

“Happy Birthday, Mr. Clark.” Janet said over her shoulder in her breathiest Marilyn Monroe impression. She’d still never watched one of her movies, but she had reviewed a few YouTube clips in preparation. But she pushed her ass back into Michael and that discouraged him from offering a critique.

“Looks like someone finally did her homework.” Michael said, grabbing her hips. “Easy, girl. This is my birthday present.” He wagged his finger at her, but his sheepish smile exposed the tease.

Michael needed no further warm-up. He aligned his cock and slid into her slowly, drawing deep gasps of pleasure. Janet was no virgin, but this truly felt like a first time for her, the forbidden thrill adding so much spiciness to this encounter that she was already melting. Michael was really feeling himself tonight, and took his time to enjoy her slowly and thoroughly, leaving Janet to squirm and moan as he did.

Oh fuck meeeeeee! If I had known he was this good I’d have jumped his bones way earlier. Janet closed her eyes and embraced the feeling of really, truly, getting fucked.

There was a knock on Michael’s office door, and Janet clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Yes?” Michael asked. He didn’t stop thrusting into Janet, and he somehow communicated with some firm squeezes of her backside that she shouldn’t either. Janet’s head spun even faster at the casual way he carried on.

“Michael, I have the proposal completed.” Vivian said from the other side of the door. The knob jiggled but the lock didn’t give. “Michael, I’d like to show it to you and then head home.”

“Email it over and I’ll look at it.”

“I have a printed copy in my hand.”

“Slide it under the door.”

“Or you could open the door and I could hand it to you like an adult.”

“I’m rather busy at the moment, Vivian.” Michael said. “I will get to it when I get to it.”

Vivian groaned so hard it could be heard through a closed door, but the printout was shoved underneath and the sound of high heels angrily clacking down the hall followed.

“Do we need to stop?” Janet asked.

“Hell no. That can wait.” Michael said, giving Janet’s rear end a slap. “And that’s for suggesting we stop.”

“Ow! Ok! I get it.” She giggled, but his next thrust shoved right back on her march towards climax. “Ohhh! Ohhh! Do NOT stop!”

“Much better.” He said with a smile, and another slap just for good measure.

Janet couldn’t hold back any more, and couldn’t even think of a reason why she’d want to. When she came, she let out a loud and long cry of joy that Michael didn’t bother to suppress. It gave him the final jolt he needed, and she felt the comforting warmth when he climaxed inside of her. She loved every single twitch of his cock finishing him off. For now.

As Michael and Janet cleaned themselves up in his private restroom, he checked his watch.

“Still time to make the reservation.” He said.

“You still want to go?” Janet asked.

Michael wrapped a hand around her waist and pulled her in for another deep kiss.

“Goddamn right. It’s my birthday and I want to be seen with you on my arm.” Michael flashed her panties in his hand, then slid them into his pocket. “But these I’m holding onto for safe keeping.”

Janet beamed. Who really was the one getting the present?

---

Now it was Vivian squinting furiously and rubbing her temples.

“That’s… no. That’s wrong. I remember that night, I was drafting up the proposal for Level 3, you were there with Danica and Mallory, I remember that specifically. I- asked Danica about… something.”

“It takes a few seconds for the changes to percolate out, baby.” Al said. “Janet gets it straight from the tap-” Al checked his watch, then stopped and looked around the room like he was sensing something. “Here it comes.”

The bingo hall throbbed, just as Janet’s memories had. She felt weightless for a second, as if she bobbed up on an ocean wave, and when she settled back in her chair Vivian’s expression had changed.

“How about now?” Al asked.

“Now I remember.” Vivian said. “That was the night I decided to leave Axiomatic. If Michael was going to fuck whores in his office while I was trying to work, then I knew I could do better.”

“Hey!” Janet shoved Vivian from her lap onto the floor. Vivian immediately looked apologetic.

‘I didn’t know you then, Janet.” Vivian begged, rolling over and sitting on her haunches at Janet’s side.

“And now that you do?” Ruby called from the audience.

“Now I know … Janet’s like me. Seeing what she wants and chasing it.”

“Like a ravenous dog.” Al earned a vicious glare from Vivian for that one. She caught herself before she actually growled at him. Am I like her now? Was I always? What person was I before? Vivian’s admonition to hold onto the true Janet felt as plausible as grabbing a fistful of the cigarette smoke in the room.

“Enjoying the show, Ruby?” Al said, apparently hoping to antagonize every woman consecutively.

“Get to the good part.” Ruby rolled her eyes.

“Not enough for you?” Al laughed. “Fine. Now that this lovely cherry’s been popped, let’s push this thing to its conclusion.”

He tapped her forehead again, causing Janet’s head to flop backwards.

Janet - Big Bear Lake

Five Months before the premiere

The Clark family buzzed around the kitchen of the small mountain cabin, pulling together snacks and drinks for their now-traditional post-skiing movie night. Janet usually offered to help, but tonight she sat at the small table off to the side in her sweat pants and hoodie, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and rubbing some of the soreness from her muscles. For the longest time, Janet had just been so desperately grateful to even be there that she volunteered for every chore and duty, as if it would make it up to them. But Janet flatly didn’t feel like it tonight, and she was starting to think they should be grateful that she was there.

A small radio in the corner was playing Christmas music. During a station break Janet heard that voice once more: Janet and the Clarks on their happy family getaway. This one’s a Harem Hotel original, folks, because Janet never even attended the 2021 trip. After her humiliating peck on his lips the year before, Janet thought it wiser to stay away from Michael so she wouldn’t be tempted again. But that was the old Janet, the boring Janet. This new and improved Janet is Michael’s little secret, and he’s not gonna be without her for a whole week. No, sir.

Mallory stepped out of the flow for a second to stretch her quadriceps, and gave Janet a smile.

“Man, my legs are killing me.” Mallory groaned. “I figured all the work you were doing at the gym woulda spared you this, but you seem to be just as sore as I am.”

“I guess there’s no escaping it.” Janet laughed, hiding a knowing smirk behind her coffee mug. Just in time too, because Danica gave her a suspicious look as she passed.

Of course she worries, but she doesn’t know anything or I wouldn’t be here. Janet thought. She winced as she ground her fingers into her muscles. Maybe I should have been exercising at least some of the times I claimed to.

She’d found that a trip to the gym was perfect cover to slip away from Mallory for a few hours - Mallory never wanted to come along, and it explained why Janet would always come back having taken a shower. But sneaking away to bounce on Michael’s dick a few times a month was not a proper substitute for a cardio routine, and she was paying the price for it now. Janet snorted a little when she saw Michael limp slightly, he was apparently having the same problem.

“Alright, popcorn’s up, cupcakes are up, cocktails for the brave, and the movie’s queued. Let’s go, ladies.” Michael said. He gave Danica a kiss on the cheek as she passed, but as Janet was last out of the room, she got a solid and inviting ass pinch. Why should he get all the fun? Janet full hand grabbed his ass in return. He jumped a little and popped his eyebrows, but the message was received loud and clear.

The foursome piled out onto the cabin’s large couch. The windows looked out over the lake surface, and the last rays of sun illuminated the snowy mountain peaks and the lightly dusted pines. The first time she’d been up here, Janet couldn’t believe she’d ever visit a place like this, but with Michael she’d been able to see a little more of California than she’d ever had the chance to before. He’d been mentioning a chance to take a trip to Seattle and the two of them had been brainstorming how he might bring her along without arousing suspicion, but for now their little assignations had been more than enough to keep them both satisfied.

“It’s freezing in here.” Mallory said, grabbing a large blanket from the blanket box they were using as a footstool and spread it over the group. Janet and Mallory were in the middle, with Michael on the outside to Janet’s left and Danica on the outside to Mallory’s right.

“Drinks?” Janet asked. Before anyone could respond, she poured from the pitcher into the four small glasses and passed the cocktails to the whole group. She led a small toast and they all enjoyed Michael’s mixology.

“Are we watching A Christmas Story again?” Mallory huffed when the film started.

“Ok, first off it’s funny.” Michael said.

“Yeah, because you’ve been laughing at the same jokes for forty years. YoU’ll sHooT yOuR EyE oUt!”

“And second off,” Michael ignored her moaning. “There’s a great Christmas moral about being careful what you wish for.”

“Right,” Danica added. “Sometimes it isn’t what you thought you wanted.” She said pointedly in Janet’s direction. “It was just a passing fancy that you shouldn’t invest yourself in.”

“I dunno, sometimes it’s everything you wanted and better. And sometimes it's like it was meant to be yours all along.” Janet said right back, capping it with a shrug. Danica looked down and away, still a little troubled, but also a little cowed.

“I’ll drink to that.” Mallory said, finishing her cocktail before the opening credits had finished. She’d barely put it down before Janet had filled it again. And a full glass of booze was an engraved invitation to Mallory, so she dove right into the second one. And the third. Janet carefully sipped hers, drinking as little as possible and watching the others. When Michael set his down, Janet surreptitiously picked it up as she took a bathroom break and left it in the kitchen. He was so engrossed in the tongue-on-the-flagpole scene that he didn’t even notice it was missing.

About forty minutes in, Janet noticed Danica starting to yawn heavily. She’d been on night shifts leading up to this trip, so it was no surprise that she was crashing first. She stood and stretched.

“Alright, I’m off to bed. Don’t stay up too late, ‘cause I’m kicking your ass down the black diamonds tomorrow.” Danica teased Michael.

“You’re gonna miss the end.”

“I’ve seen this movie a dozen times, Michael.” She shook her head. “But you three enjoy it. Good night.”

Janet ventured a quick peek over her shoulder to confirm that Danica had disappeared into the master bedroom and closed the door. She gave it a good ten more minutes and Mallory another cocktail just to be sure. The latter worked like a charm, Mallory had rolled over into the empty space left by Danica and placed her head on the arm rest of the couch. She was asleep almost immediately. Janet felt slightly guilty about the hangover she’d have tomorrow from the booze and the altitude, but reassured herself that Mallory was perfectly capable of getting hangovers on her own.

With Mallory and Danica out of the room, Janet chose to be bold. She leaned over and nuzzled herself against Michael’s shoulder. Reflexively, he put his arm around her, then realized what he was doing and stopped.

“Hold on.” He hissed softly.

Janet slid her hand under the blanket and across Michael’s lap until she could take a grip of his manhood through his shorts.

“Tell me to stop and I’ll stop.” She licked her lips up at him, illuminated only by the moon and the glow of the television. She stroked him through the crotch of his pants while he fumbled through an answer.

“They’re right there.” Michael whispered.

Janet shifted her weight so she was speaking right into his ear. “But I’m closer…” She said, then took a playful nibble of his earlobe and a meaningful stroke on his mounting erection. “They’re asleep, and I like the danger.” Janet said softly.

Michael could have said no. Theoretically. But he wouldn’t, and Janet knew it. She had him wrapped around her finger, in more ways than one. Janet began to pull her hand away, and he gently took a hold of her wrist. Their eyes met in the low light, and that was that.

“I know you love this scene.” She purred, “Enjoy it.” Janet took a quick check at Mallory and the bedroom door, and found the coast clear. She pulled her head under the blanket and popped his dick free from his jeans. It was pitch black in here, and all she had to guide her was the intoxicating smell of Michael’s musk and her own thorough experience with his anatomy.

She gripped his shaft with her hand and traced circles around the head with her tongue. She knew he wanted her to be fast, to make this a quick and dirty little blow job. But she was living for the thrill and teased and teased the poor guy. She could feel his heart rate climbing through the pulses in his cock, and she reveled in the fact that he was feeling the heat too.

Although she would have happily toyed with him much longer, when he placed a gentle hand on the back of her head, she took his direction. Janet parted her lips and let him softly push her down onto his cock, taking his length into her mouth inch by glorious inch. She’d sucked him off many times by this point, but she always felt a sense of achievement when she reached his base and felt his body relax into hers.

She couldn’t let him relax too much, he was signaling that he wanted her to move, so move she did. Janet took draws on his cock with increased urgency. As fun as it was to tease Michael in the presence of his women, the truth was she really didn’t want Danica to bust her and toss her ass out into the snow. So she hurried. She heard Michael stifling his moans and felt his hand on her head grow insistent, so she knew it was working.

Janet panicked slightly as she felt Mallory stirring next to her, and Michael noticed it too. She redoubled her efforts, driving herself down onto him harder and faster, trying to draw the maximum enjoyment from each move. She felt his body tense as he came, and she smiled at the now familiar taste of his seed across her tongue. As soon as she felt the last one, Janet sat up from under the blanket and grabbed at her drink. She was washing down his load with a swallow of bourbon when Mallory’s eyes opened.

“Ugh, is it still going?” She said. “Wake me when its over.” Mallory shifted her position, kicking Janet in the process, and was snoring again within a minute.

“You’re a goddamned hellcat.” Michael sounded deeply impressed and still entirely infatuated.

Janet didn’t need to say anything, she snuggled deeper into him and enjoyed his warmth on the cold winter night.

---

“Well, I’ll fuckin’ be, you really are a hellcat.” Al laughed. “Congrats, baby. You’ve got yourself a nice new sexy backstory with Boss Michael.”

“Heh.” Ruby snickered from the audience, beginning a mocking slow clap.

“Do we have a note of appreciation from the audience?” Al said.

Ruby stood and continued to clap. There was some confusion among the staff as to whether they should follow along, so the room picked up only a smattering of applause. But it gained momentum until it built to a crescendo. Ruby walked up to join Al and the others on the small stage. Then abruptly, Ruby held up a closed fist and the staff all stopped clapping at once.

“Excellent work, Al.” Ruby said. “You have given Janet and Michael a torrid love affair for the ages.”

“Thank you.” He said, with a bow. “But I couldn’t have done it without you. You were the one who added the retroactive history to her transformation and made this whole thing possible.”

“Right, I did. Of course, since now Janet and Michael have been lovers for well over a year…” She said, drawing out the silence. “Then of course she’ll be subject to the same victory point penalties as Rhonda and Danica, his other former lovers.” Ruby patted Janet on the shoulder. “Maybe more, since he was clearly quite invested in this affair.”

“She… Wait… That’s bullshit, Ruby.” Al said, clearly knocked off his game.

“Rules are rules, Al. Have a nice night.” Ruby turned to leave, but before she disappeared through a side door, she stopped. “I am serious, however, when I say that was excellent work.” She gave a ‘chef’s kiss’ and pulled the door shut before he could say anything more.