Overhearing a conversation.

When William woke up, the first thing he sensed was the smell of chicken soup lingering in the air. His room was still bright, so he didn’t think he had slept for long. His body felt heavy, so he didn’t move an inch. Instead, he only used his eyes to glance around. He didn’t see nor hear anyone, so he guessed the girls had left already. That was proven wrong when he heard the sound of a ceramic cup being set over a plate.

“…girlfriend? But he seemed so against the idea,” he heard Ruth’s voice. It was coming from the other side of the room, where he pictured they were sitting on the sofa.

“I was really insistent,” Reina chuckled. “Telling him I was okay him having sex friends was what finally made him accept.” She paused for a moment, and then he heard the sound of a cup again. “Like I told you, I find the idea exciting. But… why are you okay with it?” Reina sounded curious more than anything.

“Well, first there’s the obvious. Sex with him is just… not normal, in the best way possible. He probably made me come more times in a single night than I ever have in my life.”

“I can certainly agree with that.” Reina hummed with a hint of excitement.

“But other than that? He’s just really sweet, you know? You think he’d grow a huge ego, but he’s surprisingly humble. And he has this mix of being stupidly hot and innocently cute that just DOES IT for me,” Ruth said, sounding like she was having a good time.

“Right!? He looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly but then he gets you in bed and rocks your whole world! Oh! And he even beat up some drunks who were getting rough with me on our first date.”

“Seriously?” Ruth sounded impressed. “I never would’ve thought he’d do something like that.”

“Okay, so I’m not one to encourage ****, but he looked so cool standing up for me like that. It just makes a girl’s heart flutter, you know?”

“I totally get that,” Ruth said, adamantly. “My previous boyfriend wouldn’t stand up for me even at a store when the clerk had given me the wrong change.”

‘…’

‘You’re hearing the same as I am, right?’

‘Yeah.’

“So… let me get this straight. You don’t mind that Will and I have a thing?” Ruth asked.

“I don’t. In fact… I hope you don’t mind, but you’re so hot that just imagining how you look like getting fucked is making me wet.”

“Shut up!” Both Ruth and Reina laughed loudly before they remembered Will was close and they lowered their voices. “You’re crazy, woman.”

“Sure, but you’re not any better. It takes a special one to say yes to a deal like that.”

“I suppose,” Ruth chuckled, then sighed. “I admit, when Will sent me a message saying he was sick, I fully expected it to be a lie, an excuse to not see me because he was busy with other women.”

“And you came here anyway?”

“I wanted to see if he was telling the truth. If he wasn’t, then… Shit, it would’ve been hard, but I don’t think I could’ve stayed with him, no matter how good the sex.”

“Good,” Reina nodded. “It means you value yourself, girl. But I bet you’re relieved he wasn’t lying, right?”

“Kind of. I’m glad he told me the truth, but I didn’t expect him to look so ill. What do you think he has?”

“I don’t know,” Reina sighed. “He was fine the last time we were together. I wonder if I should tell Mrs. Evans that he’s sick and can’t go to work.”

“Ah? Mrs. Evans? Who’s that?”

“Our boss. She’s the CEO at the magazine I model for. William just became a part-timer there not long ago.”

“…Could it…?”

“What are you mumbling?”

“Nothing. Just thinking I need to confirm something when I go back home. Just wished I could’ve had some fun with Will before leaving, but not much I can do.”

“So? Answer me. Would you be up for a threesome with us?” Reina asked.

“Mmm… You know what? Sure. You’re cool, and it’s not like I can satisfy that monster on my own.”

“Yess! Let’s exchange numbers!”

“Yeah.”

“…”

‘…Hey. Is there really no way for me to use your power without getting emotionally screwed?’

‘…Perhaps. But you’re not gonna like this.’

‘Try me.’

‘The problem is that, while your control is good, you’re letting it influence your mind too much. So I had this idea. Let me control your body.’

‘Not this shit again, Ishtar.’

‘Listen to me before you complain. When I first possessed you, I was able to send subtle but powerful suggestions to your mind without you noticing. Now you DO notice, and can resist them. But when you use my power, your mind is too busy controlling the energy to realize the effect it has on you. So what I propose is: let me control your body during sex while you focus on your emotions. If we practice enough, you might be able to start resisting sexual energy subconsciously.’

‘…’

‘Look, I get it. You like these women. I felt you getting giddy like a school girl while listening to them talk. You want love, I want sex. We know now what happens when we start fighting, and believe me, it’s been fun but I’m done with it. So this is what we’re gonna do. I’ll help you create a harem of loving, devoted girlfriends who’ll fuck you whenever you want. That way we both win, right?’

‘…Who are you and what did you do to Ishtar?’

‘…I’ve been feeling it all this time, you know? That annoying, painful hole in your heart. Scared to love again, scared of being betrayed. I thought we could fill it with copious amounts of sex. But ever since I first possessed you, the only time I’ve felt that hole get a little smaller was just now, when we heard those two talking about you. And… it felt nice, you know?’

Well shit. Ishtar was speaking honestly. What could he say to that?