Why is it so hard to find someone who cares about you

“So that’s the plan? You’re really just going to stay up here in the Master’s Suite all day, not doing anything?” For once, Holly wasn’t her usual cheerful, bubbly self. She almost sounded disappointed. She looked at Nick with an expression on her face that could have been considered disapproving, and reminded Nick quite a bit of her old self, before she found sexual liberation.

Nick looked back at her, wearing an even expression. “Is that a problem?” He asked calmly, raising his eyebrow.

Holly pouted. “It’s just… well, what’s the fun in that?” She demanded, pointing an accusing finger at him. “You should be going around and having good times with the other girls in your harem! Back me up here, Mary! Don’t you think it would be so much hotter for Nick to go hang out with someone else, maybe get up to some sexy times with one of the other girls in his harem? What’s Gina doing right now? Or even Rose?”

Mary gave Holly a surprised look, not expecting to get involved like that. Her eyes slid over to Nick, wide with concern, before glancing back at the other girl.

“I… while that might be somewhat… or rather, uh…” She bit her lip, and shifted nervously in her boots. She couldn’t argue with Holly that the idea of Nick being proactive and putting the moves on other women stirred something in her chest thanks to her most recent transformation, but at the same time, as Nick’s wife, he natural inclination was to leave it up to him what to do; she didn’t want to be a nag. “Don’t you think… Nick deserves at least a little time to himself? To relax?” She finally posed.

Nick nodded and gestured to his wife, while giving Holly a “You see? Exactly!” kind of look.

Holly sighed. She couldn’t argue with that. She nodded begrudgingly. “Well… alright then. As long as you’re enjoying yourself, I can’t really complain,” she admitted. “Your happiness comes first after all, Nick.”

Nick smiled. “I’m glad you think that,” he said, standing up from his chair and approaching her.

“Hmm?” Holly gave him a quizzical look. “What do you mean by that?” She asked, confused.

“Well, if I’m being honest, the real reason I wanted to stay up here for the morning is because I wanted to spend more time with you, Holly,” he explained. “Kim really did me a big favor giving me some time today.”

Holly’s mouth fell open and her eyes bulged out. “Uh… say what now?” She must not have heard that properly. “You… want to spend time with me? Excuse me?”

“Oooh?” Mary’s eyes widened and she leaned forward with an intrigued expression on her face. “Really?”

“Is there something wrong with that?” Nick asked, enjoying the look of shock on the confused girl. It looked like Holly was having a total system crash, and she was positively adorable through it.

“I… th-there’s… it’s not like there’s anything wrong with it…” When was the last time he’d seen her like that? Holly was always happy these days, letting things roll over her with a big, cheesy smile. She seemed completely unfazed by everything. Which was why Nick quite enjoyed the fact that he’d finally shattered her cool.

“…Wh-wh-why?” Holly finally managed to squeak out. Yup, Nick could see it clearly now, she was going through a mental breakdown alright.

It was kind of cute.

“Because I haven’t been spending enough time with you,” he said seriously. “And personally, I don’t think that’s very fair. You’re important to me, too, Holly, and I think that it wasn’t just luck that Kim gave me this opportunity. It must be fate. I don’t have any obligations to any other girls for the whole morning. Don’t you think I should spend that time doing what I want to do, then? With someone who I don’t get to spend enough time with?”

“Awawa…” Holly’s lips fluttered open and closed as her brain tried desperately to formulate a response to him. It shouldn’t have been this difficult, she was always sending snarky jokes his way and teasing him and the other girls for not being daring enough, but…

She didn’t have anything to say right now. This was way out of her comfort zone.

“…But it’s Kim’s day,” she finally managed to spit out, knowing what a terrible excuse for an excuse that was.

Nick didn’t even bother. “And she wanted me to use this time however I wanted,” he pointed out. “And that means I can spend that time with you.”

“She… she wanted you to relax!” Holly countered, shaking her head and making her curls bounce all over the place. “Being with me, that… that’s not relaxing! It’s just a big ol’ mental drain! I’ll be all pouty and teasy and… and… it’s not gonna be a fun time!”

With a huff and a sniff she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

Nick laughed. Mary giggled a little herself.

“Come on, Holly, you’re not so bad,” the redhead said, shaking her head.

“Holly, being with you won’t be a bother at all,” Nick assured her. “I think just hanging out and having some fun together would be perfect for relaxing.”

Holly’s eyes widened. “You… …Really?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “I mean, what, are you gonna try to be a bother on purpose? That’s not like you.”

“Yes it is! It’s totally like me!” Holly protested.

Well, maybe she had a point. Still though.

“Then at least I’ll have some fun anyway,” Nick countered. “I always have fun when I’m with you, Holly, no matter how much of a handful you can be.”

“They aren’t big enough for a handful, they’re small!” Holly protested, covering her chest. Even when she was embarrassed she still couldn’t help but turn things sexual. “You would just be disappointed anyway…”

The mental damage Holly was inflicting on herself was substantial. She was so determined not to waste Nick’s time with her that she was inadvertently hurting herself in the process. And Nick wasn’t happy about that at all.

“Stop talking about yourself that way,” he pleaded, approaching her and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I don’t care about stuff like that. You know what I meant. I like you the way you are, Holly, no matter how wild and crazy you get.”

Holly looked up at him, her eyes watering. It just wasn’t fair. How come he got to say stuff like that with a straight face? Cheater!

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, tearing her eyes away even though that was the last thing she wanted to do. “It’s just… this isn’t how things are ever supposed to go…” Her role in the harem was to serve as Nick’s sex ****, but her chastity belt made it clear that the “sex” part was more about her own denial. Not… anything like what he was proposing!

“Why not?” Nick asked. “We’ve been on dates before. We’ve made love before. What’s wrong with just spending time together?”

She didn’t have an answer for him. Not one she could say out loud.

“Besides, Holly, don’t you want the chance to make use of the boon you received from Gina’s slumber party?” Mary asked. “The round’s getting closer and closer to the end, you might not have the chance to make use of it!”

Holly went pale. Her jaw dropped. Then she turned red.

“Th-that-!”

“Wait, what boon?” Nick looked at Mary, surprised. “That’s the first time I’m hearing about this. What did you get for a boon, Holly?”

“It’s not important!” Holly exclaimed. “Really, it’s not!”

“Oh! I can answer that!” Nola popped up from her seat with her hand raised high like a teacher’s pet in class. “I know all the boons! Gimme just a sec…”

In spite of Holly’s horrified expression, Nola quickly pulled up a screen. There was plenty of time for the small girl to voice her objections, but for some strange reason her voice just wasn’t working.

Maybe some part of her was resisting her attempts to be a big bother and get in Nick’s way.

“Here we go!” Nola chirped, showing Holly’s boon to the master.

The Moment of Climax: Magnifies the intensity of any orgasm the contestant experiences this round by making time stand still or “freeze” upon the moment of climax. The sexual pleasure may pass in the blink of an eye, but to the contestant it will feel never-ending!

Nick looked at the description of her boon with a stunned expression. He turned back to Holly once he finished reading, and the embarrassment painted across her face spoke volume.

“It… it’s… not like I could use it anyway,” she sighed, slumping her shoulders. “Even if we made love again… it wouldn’t do anything for me, remember?”

Holly couldn’t reach climax unless she was given permission by another girl, when she was brought to orgasm by Nick. Their moment of lovemaking had been a single night of respite, as a result of another boon. One that couldn’t be replicated.

“Sex is… it’s amazing,” Holly murmured sadly. “But for you, Nick… what feels best for you is when you bring your partner pleasure, because you’re such a nice person.” If Nick tried that again, Holly would be woefully unsatisfactory for him. “It would be such a waste with me. Wouldn’t you rather have someone who can please you the right way? Any of the others would be better. Being with me, that’s just… no, it wouldn’t… …And besides, you’re supposed to be relaxing,” she added. “I don’t want to waste your relaxation time when you have Kim to satisfy tonight!”

“Holly… I don’t care about any of that,” Nick said seriously. “We don’t even have to have sex if you don’t want to.”

“…Really?” Holly looked at him like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Nick shook his head. “Of course not,” he assured her. “I get it. You’re worried that any time I spend on you would be better spent on someone else. Well… I don’t see it that way myself. I’d rather spend that time with you, Holly, regardless. Because it’s not about sex, it’s about spending time with someone I care about.”

“You should listen to him, Holly!” Mary nodded encouragingly. “It’s okay for you to be selfish sometimes! Besides, you’re the one who said it yourself, Nick needs to use this time to conserve his energy! If he’s with another girl and they have sex, that completely defeats the purpose! Wouldn’t it be better to spend time with someone he can be with, without it having to be about sex?”

For Mary, the connection of true love was about so much more than sexual pleasure. That was what she’d always believed. And while yes, sex did feel great… really, really great… there were other things to consider, too.

Holly was wavering, everyone could see that. All it would take was one more push from Nick and she’d give in, he was confident.

“I want to be with you today, Holly,” he said seriously. “We can do whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t involve sex. Like Mary said- I need to conserve my energy for tonight.”

Holly’s lip quivered. She looked up at Nick with those big, brown eyes of hers, and felt her heart pounding in her chest.

“…It’s really okay?” She asked finally. “Being with you… it’s really okay if we spend time together? It’s not a waste?”

The thought that Nick would want to spend time just enjoying himself with her, rather than with a woman who could actually satisfy him, it seemed completely ridiculous to Holly. But if Nick really wanted that…

“I want to spend time with you, Holly,” he said firmly, seeing her start to give in. “That’s what would make me happiest.”

Holly couldn’t hold it in anymore. She gazed up at him with an adoring smile as hearts flashed in her eyes. Her lips curled up into a shaky grin, and her cheeks flushed.

“Okay…” she relented. “You win.”

It felt like a door had been flung open in Holly’s mind. She’d been resisting so staunchly before now, but once that line had been crossed and she’d given in to Nick’s insistence, she couldn’t hold herself back anymore.

The ideas and possibilities of what they could do together just came pouring out like water through a hole in a dam.

Holly wasn’t the only one who had spent her morning in doubtful hesitation. In spite of the confidence she’d tried to show with Amelia, Morgana was finding herself quite uncertain of how to progress things from here.

She walked down the hall with her spellbook clutched to her chest and her head held high as she tried to think about what the Luxury Suite was doing to her mind.

Morgana didn’t want to rely on Dawn right now. If she could, she wanted to resolve this whole mess herself.

After all, she would have to grow up someday. She couldn’t keep relying on her friends for everything. She had to be responsible for once, and handle things like an adult! That meant solving her own problems every now and then.

“Oh, hey. Look who it is!”

Morgana jumped and turned to see Rose heading her way. She’d just passed the Fashion Suite on her way to the elevator.

“Oh, Rose, um… hello…” Morgana gave the other woman a shaky smile. She’d always found Rose to be one of the more difficult women to get to know. But this round, the Frenchwoman had been a lot of help, and had seemed much more approachable. So Morgana wasn’t quivering with uncertainty the way she used to.

She could even look her in the eye now.

Rose showed no signs of being bothered by Morgana’s nervousness. Which was just so cool. The tall girl had the kind of unshakable confidence that Morgana wanted for herself at times.

Unfortunately, Morgana was hindered by a few pesky personality defects that kept her ego in check, like common sense and a firm grasp on reality.

“You going to breakfast? We were just heading there ourselves.”

“We?” Morgana peeked past the other girl and saw a glimpse of Ella trailing behind her. The shorter girl was playing with her bangs, fidgeting uncomfortably. When she spotted Morgana, she gave her a tiny wave.

“Yep. Cinder and I are such good friends now, I thought it would be great if Ella and I got along, too!” Rose said, draping her arm over Ella’s shoulder in a friendly side hug.

Well, Rose might have thought it was friendly. Ella cringed at the touch, stiffening up like a board. Morgana could see the shiver that ran through her body.

“Rose, um… I-I don’t think you should do that,” Morgana said, shaking her head quickly. “Ella, she… she doesn’t like that.”

Rose blinked, surprised. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She let go of the other girl and stepped away. “You never said anything, so I just thought-”

“It’s fine,” Ella said snippily, averting her eyes. “Don’t worry about it…”

Morgana winced. Seeing her friend look so upset was hard. The unfortunate thing was Ella had the same problem she did when it came to standing up to Rose. The two of them were really very similar; it was probably why she felt so close to her.

“Ella, if you don’t like what Rose is doing, just tell her to back off!” Morgana felt a swell of confidence in her chest. She made a fist and shook it in the air. “You have to be really clear with her, or else she’ll walk all over you!”

“Hey!” Rose protested. “I already said I was sorry!”

Ella looked at Morgana with wide eyes. For a second Morgana thought she saw a flash of fear in the other girl’s expression, but it was gone a moment later.

“I… it’s okay, I’ve gotten used to it,” the latina mumbled, shaking her head. She glanced at Rose uneasily. “She’s just… being herself.”

That was remarkably mature from Ella. Morgana was impressed!

I guess she is older than me… I forget about that sometimes. All the girls in Nick’s harem were older than she was. Except maybe Sylvia. It was complicated. Still, Morgana tried to be friends with them, even Rose.

“But, um… please stop hogging the covers in bed,” Ella added. “I have enough trouble sleeping as it is, you know.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Don’t be such a drama queen,” she huffed. Then her expression softened. “Alright, I get it.” She scratched her head and gave Ella a once-over. “You sure you’re okay, Ella? I really was just trying to be friendly. You know, roommate stuff.”

The look Ella gave her was loaded with anxiety. She bit her lip.

“I… we aren’t friends,” she pointed out finally. The sigh of relief that escaped her lips revealed just how long she’d been waiting to say that.

Morgana was stunned at such blunt words coming from such a timid girl. Rose twisted her mouth into a wide “O” shape.

“I… no, I guess we’re not,” she admitted finally. “Sorry then.”

Ella’s eyes widened with alarm. “I-I just meant that you’re close with Cinder,” she clarified. “That’s not the same thing as you and I being friends… I don’t think I’d be able to get along with you at all, that’s what I meant.”

“Man, that really doesn’t sound any better,” Rose said with a laugh, trying to downplay the sting of Ella’s sincerity. “Come on, I’m sure we can find something we have in common! We both like closets, don’t we?”

The look of horror on Ella’s face just raised more questions for the very confused Morgana.

Closets?

“Okay, I’ll stop,” Rose said, holding up her hands. “I can already tell that Cinder’s going to have some choice words for me once she comes back out. And the last thing I want to do is get on her bad side. You know, since she’s the one who’s actually my friend.”

Ella winced. “I-I’m sorry,” she apologized. “That really wasn’t how I meant to say it…”

“Well, how did you mean to say it?” Rose asked, trying not to be overbearing and hurt the girl’s feelings all over again.

Ella swallowed. “I just… I’m sorry?” She was really messing up here. And Morgana needed to do something to set the mood back.

“Let’s just forget about all that!” The goth blurted out. “Let’s get some breakfast and enjoy ourselves, okay?”

Ella looked gratefully at her and Rose nodded in agreement.

“Sure thing!” The blonde said with a nod. “That sounds great!”

Morgana sighed in relief. Crisis averted.