Unexpected Support

Author's note: Hey there! I hope you're having a wonderful day! Just a quick interruption in your scheduled reading to inform you that I've created a Discord server around hypnosis, mind control and transformations, with a focus on concept stories. I'll also keep everyone updated about my upcoming stories (big novel underway) there. Feel free to join!

I watched as Veronica brought out the main course—some kind of roasted chicken with vegetables that looked decent enough. The presentation was nice, arranged on expensive plates with garnishes that seemed designed more for Instagram than flavor. After weeks of eating Claudia's cooking and meals at Le Petit Château, my standards had definitely shifted. Veronica's food was… fine. The kind of meal someone makes when they learned to cook from watching Food Network but don't actually enjoy being in the kitchen.

"This is delicious, Veronica," Claudia said beside me, her waitress-perfect smile in place. I could tell from the way she'd subtly pushed the mushiest vegetables to the side of her plate that she was being polite.

"Thank you, dear," Veronica replied with practiced grace. "It's just a little something I threw together. Nothing compared to what you're used to serving, I'm sure."

Across the table, Cassandra was having trouble maintaining eye contact with anyone. Every time she looked at Claudia, her cheeks flushed and she would quickly look away, taking a large sip of wine. She'd been fidgeting throughout the meal, crossing and uncrossing her legs, adjusting her position in her chair as if she couldn't get comfortable.

"So, Cassandra," my father said, apparently oblivious to her discomfort, "how are things with Bradley? His father mentioned they're expanding their law practice to include corporate mergers."

Cassandra started slightly at being addressed directly. "Oh! Bradley. Yes. My boyfriend. Bradley." She emphasized the word "boyfriend" strangely, as if reminding herself. "He's fine. We're fine. Everything's fine." Her eyes drifted to Claudia's hands as she cut her chicken, and Cassandra bit her lip before forcing her gaze back to her plate.

"We've been together for three years now," she added, her voice slightly higher than normal. "He's very… male. Masculine. Just how I like them. Men, that is. Because I'm straight." She took another large gulp of wine.

Dad and Veronica exchanged a glance I couldn't quite interpret. Concern, maybe? Confusion? Cassandra's odd behavior had not gone unnoticed, but they didn't seem to know how to respond. From how my father turned toward me with a frown after, however, he knew I was somehow to blame for it, but said nothing.

Claudia leaned closer to me, her lips brushing my ear. "Is she okay? She keeps looking at me like she wants to devour me." Her breath was warm against my skin, and I felt her hand squeeze my thigh under the table.

"My doing," I whispered back, unable to keep the smugness from my voice. "Thought it might keep her from being a bitch to you all evening."

Claudia's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed with mischief. "You're terrible," she whispered, but I could hear the arousal in her voice. "I like that."

I slid my hand under the table, finding the hem of her dress and slowly pushing it up her thigh. She parted her legs slightly, inviting me to continue as my father droned on about quarterly projections and market expansions. My fingers traced the edge of her underwear, feeling the heat radiating from her. Claudia maintained her composed expression, nodding at appropriate intervals in my father's monologue while I slipped a finger beneath the fabric.

"Oliver," my father's sharp voice cut through the room, making me freeze. "I can see what you're doing, and while I understand it's your… prerogative, could we please maintain some decorum at the dinner table? Not this again…"

I withdrew my hand quickly, feeling my face heat up. Before I could apologize, Veronica leaned forward.

"Are you feeling aroused, Oliver?" she asked bluntly, setting down her fork. "I can help you with that after dinner. Or now, if you prefer."

"Or I could," Cassandra added immediately, though her eyes were fixed on Claudia rather than me. "Or maybe… maybe Claudia and I could… together? For you! Of course!" Her voice had taken on a breathless quality, and she seemed genuinely confused by her own suggestion, blinking rapidly as if trying to clear her head.

My father sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "For God's sake, can we at least finish dinner first? If you're going to… service Oliver, please do it somewhere else. Preferably after dessert."

"Sorry, Dad," I said, feeling genuinely embarrassed. "We'll behave. And no, thank you both, but that won't be necessary." I gave Claudia's thigh a gentle squeeze under the table before returning my hand to my own lap.

My father relaxed visibly at my refusal, taking a long sip of his wine. "Now, as I was saying before being interrupted by… whatever that was… I might actually need your help with something creative, Oliver. I know it's right up your alley."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Creative? Me?"

"Yes, we're launching a new line of filtration systems, and the marketing team has come up with the most insipid campaign I've ever seen. I thought perhaps you might have some ideas. You've always had a… unique way of looking at things."

I couldn't help but laugh. A month ago, I would have ignored the absurdity of such a sentence coming from my father, and would have pretended to be enthusiastic just to get in his good graces, but today, I was in no mood for the charade. "You want ME to give my... creative input?"

My father frowned, setting down his fork. "Why not?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, not having intended to start anything. "Well... It's just that you haven't exactly been supportive of me when I tried to be creative in the past..."

"What are you talking about?" My father looked genuinely perplexed. "What creative endeavors haven't I supported?"

I glanced at Claudia, who gave me an encouraging nod. "Well, for one, you weren't exactly thrilled when I wanted to study game design."

To my surprise, my father looked completely confused. "What? That's not true at all. If anything, I was disappointed when you gave it up after only a year."

I nearly choked on my wine. "Wait, what? I thought you hated the idea. You said it wasn't a 'real career path.'"

"I did say that," my father admitted, setting down his glass. "Because I didn't think it was. But you seemed so passionate about it, and for once you were actually excited about something. I was waiting for you to prove me wrong." He shook his head slightly. "Instead, you just… quit. Came home and said you were switching to IT, which you then also abandoned."

I sat there, stunned. "I… I thought you were pressuring me to quit," I said weakly. "All those comments about wasting my time, about how I should be preparing to join the family business…"

"I wanted you to fight for it," my father replied, his voice softer than usual. "If it was really what you wanted, I expected you to argue, to show me some evidence that you could make it work. Instead, you just… folded."

The table fell silent. Cassandra was still staring at Claudia like she wanted to devour her, but even she seemed to recognize the gravity of the moment.

"Huh," was all I could manage to say, my mind racing to recontextualize years of interactions with my father. "Jesus, Dad... You didn't help your case by being a condescending prick about it, you know?"

My father grumbled, not meeting my eyes. "Yes, well… You know me. I don't exactly wear my heart on my sleeve. But I never wanted to crush your spirit... If that's what I did, I'm... I'm sorry."

A heavy silence fell over the table. I stared at my plate, the realization sinking in that I might have misinterpreted my father all those years ago. But the fact remained that I had quit. I'd given up when things got hard, proving his initial skepticism right. The weight of that realization made my chest tighten.

"Actually," Claudia said, breaking the silence, "Oliver has been working on a game for the past few weeks." She placed her hand on my arm, her touch warm and reassuring. "He's got a playable prototype already. It's a puzzle game involving time travel paradoxes, and it's really clever."

I shot her a surprised look, not expecting her to bring up my little hobby project in front of my family. Across the table, Cassandra shifted in her seat, her eyes locked on Claudia's lips as she spoke. A thin sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead, and she kept crossing and uncrossing her legs, clearly struggling to maintain her composure.

"Is that so?" My father leaned forward, suddenly interested. "And do you plan on selling this game? Is there a market for it?"

"I… I haven't really thought about it that way," I admitted, caught off guard by his business-oriented question. "I've just been making it because I enjoy the process. It's not even close to finished."

"Well, the time you're spending on it is money," my father replied, his tone shifting into what I recognized as his business voice. "It's an investment. If it's promising, it would be a shame not to invest more in it." He took a sip of his wine, eyes calculating. "Why don't you come back to me with a business plan? Different projections of revenue based on various scenarios of how well the game might sell."

"Wait, are you serious?" I asked, genuinely confused. "You're actually interested in investing in my game?"

Claudia squeezed my leg under the table, her excitement palpable. Meanwhile, Cassandra had begun to fidget with her napkin, folding and unfolding it obsessively as she stole glances at Claudia. When Claudia leaned forward slightly, Cassandra's breath audibly caught, and she quickly drained her wine glass.

"Yes, I am," my father said firmly. "If the business plan and the concept are solid, and if you can convince me you won't give up this time." He set down his glass with a decisive click. "After all, I have you to thank for that multi-million dollar contract with the Harringtons. It's only fair I put some of those profits toward your endeavor—if it seems worth it."

Veronica looked between us with mild surprise, while Claudia was clearly trying to focus on the conversation despite being visibly aroused by Cassandra's obvious desire for her. She shifted in her seat, her cheeks flushed, but kept her attention on my father's words.

"I… don't know what to say," I managed, genuinely stunned by this turn of events.

"Say you'll bring me a business plan by next week," my father replied with a hint of a smile. "We can discuss it over lunch."

I had just started to process my father's unexpected support when a loud, unmistakable moan cut through the dining room. All heads snapped toward Cassandra, who had her eyes closed, her knuckles white as she gripped the edge of the table. Her face was flushed, her breathing ragged.

"What the hell was that?" my father demanded, his fork clattering against his plate. He turned to me with narrowed eyes. "Oliver, what did you do to her?"

Cassandra's eyes flew open, mortification washing over her face as she realized what had just happened. She opened her mouth to speak but only managed another small whimper as she looked at Claudia.

"Sorry," I said, unable to completely hide my amusement despite the terrible timing. "I may have… tweaked something in Cassandra's head earlier. She's finding Claudia very attractive right now."

My father pinched the bridge of his nose. "For God's sake, Oliver. We're trying to have a family dinner. Can't you control yourself?"

"Alright, alright," I sighed, making a quick decision. "Claudia, Cassandra, go to my bedroom and have sex with each other."

Claudia blinked in surprise, then a slow smile spread across her face. She stood up from the table but then hesitated, looking around uncertainly. "Which one is your bedroom?"

"Second floor, third door on the right," I told her.

Cassandra was already on her feet, her eyes dark with desire and confusion. She was clearly trying to process why she was suddenly about to have sex with a woman—something she'd never shown any interest in before—but the command and her overwhelming attraction to Claudia overrode any objections she might have had.

"I… I don't understand what's happening to me," Cassandra murmured, her voice thick with arousal as she followed Claudia toward the stairs. "But I can't stop thinking about touching you."

"Don't worry about it," Claudia replied with a mischievous grin, taking Cassandra's hand and leading her up the stairs. "I'll take good care of you." She threw a wink over her shoulder at me before they disappeared around the corner.

I turned back to find my father and Veronica staring at me, their expressions a mix of resignation and discomfort. "Now, about that business plan…" I mumbled, offering an apologetic shrug.