scientific curiosity's kicking in

"Helen's eyes were about to pop right out of her skull if she kept darting them back and forth like that."

"Can't we just take them all and build an army?"

"Right, line them all up too? In formation?"

"Oh yes, just imagine it..."

There was only one women-only gym in the whole region — clear across the city, miles from home, but it was the solution they'd landed on.

Nick was planning to start testing his limits, but it was dangerous. The girls had tried convincing him they knew he'd never hurt them, but he still needed precautions — someone present who could actually take him on, or at least land a hit hard enough to reboot his brain. He didn't want to bring another man into the house, though. He was sure the world was full of great guys who'd never do anything wrong, but finding one who was both an excellent person and physically capable would've taken forever. He also wasn't fooling himself — the caveman was still in there. Wouldn't have bothered him as much with the other girls, but he refused to put another man in the same house as his wife. Felt tremendously guilty about it, too — Helen didn't get that particular courtesy; she'd drilled into his skull the moment he confessed it that he needed to bring in a woman instead. Not that it took much convincing.

While Nick's gaze drifted across several of the women training there, Helen started tugging at his sleeve.

"Nick, Nick, NICK—"

"What, what, WHAT—"

He turned to look at her — her eyes were wide, locked on one of the fighters in the ring.

Two women were trading Muay Thai kicks, both fully padded up. Only one word came to Nick's mind to describe the one Helen was staring at: Amazon.

Tall, muscles cut into every part of her body, especially her abs, thighs as wide and powerful as Chun-Li's, and even under the athletic gear, there was no hiding her generous chest. The round bell rang; she returned to her corner, pulled off her headgear, and released a long black braid.

"Nick..." Helen said, unable to look away.

"Absolutely," he said.

"Security? What kind of security?" Ariane asked.

Helen was chatting her up — they'd waited until late, found out she worked as an instructor at the facility, and figured offering her a job was the best play.

"Private, at a house. Only women live there — well, and him, but he's a total puppy."

"I heard that," Nick called from outside the ring, wrapped in a hoodie.

He didn't want to influence her before he was sure she'd agree on her own — if he "freed" her too early, it would've weighed on his conscience. He thought of the Barista, of the sales associate at Versace, of the maître . Hoped things were going well for both of them.

This one, though, clearly knew how to handle herself — pity any devil dumb enough to tell her what she could or couldn't do with her own body.

"And self-defense classes, for everyone, and for him too, maybe, I don't know."

"That's a lot to ask for—"

"What would you charge? You'd be living in — it's basically a castle, honestly, super luxurious, kind of a women's shelter type of thing."

"And what's his role in all this then?"

"It's... complicated. He's genuinely a good guy, helps a lot, and the boss...she likes having him close."

That was true, more or less.

"Well... if it's full-time and live-in..."

"Name your price. Seriously."

She thought about it — Helen batting her puppy-dog eyes, small and adorable, definitely helped. Not that Helen, underneath it all, wasn't just picturing being scooped up and devoured against the ropes by this — but she was a good actress about it.

"Yeah... okay, sounds good. We can do a trial run if you want, and I'm not signing anything until I've seen the place."

"Perfect, we don't need to test anything."

"Actually, we do," Nick cut in, climbing into the ring.

He started stripping off his hoodie and his ring, down to shorts, and she finally got a good look at his massive build — and the tattoo.

Didn't change her mood much, though she kept staring — but she definitely didn't throw herself at him. Good sign.

"You'll need pads or I'm going to hurt you — the way you move, you've never taken a class in your life, even if you're in shape."

"That's the point. I need you to hurt me."

Helen backed out of the ring.

"You don't know what you're asking."

"Let's go," Nick said.

"Your call."

She approached with total confidence and landed a kick to his side. He barely flinched.

"Don't hold back. It's important that you know if you can actually hurt me — I need you to be able to. I'm not leaving the girls with someone weaker than me. Come on."

She started throwing kicks and punches like she meant to kill him. Nick struggled to block them; even the ones that landed on his arm stung a little. The ones that didn't — he didn't think she could actually kill him, but she hit like a jackhammer, and that would do just fine.

As Ariane started tiring, Nick baited her into pushing harder, until she was gasping for air.

"Nobody can keep up with me like that, especially not without any real training — how is that even possible," she said, straddling him.

"Ask me another day. When you come by."

Ariane took a running start from across the ring and tackled him without warning; he went down flat on his back with her on top. He loved that she'd knocked him down, and she loved that he'd held his own against her — a lot. Now she was kissing him.

She pulled off her gloves, flung them aside, then her top, freeing a large chest. Nick grabbed her by the torso and they rolled until he had her underneath, pulled off her shorts, then his own, and slid into her. She just breathed ragged, no moaning, no crying out, not even when he started licking her breasts.

A few minutes in, while they kissed, she grabbed him by the hair from behind and flipped him onto his side, climbing back on top — very different from any other woman he'd been with; he was always the one dominating, but this was more even, she took what she wanted without asking, by force, same as him. She started riding him, refusing to let go of his hair — clearly liked being in control. Since he could already smell her, he decided to give her an orgasm he was pretty sure she'd never experienced before, gripping her hips and lifting her deep onto him repeatedly until he sensed she was close. She finally screamed, and they came together; she got shipped off to another dimension for a few seconds, and when she came back, she just stared at him — no spasms, no urge to collapse, just staring wide-eyed, panting. Nick wondered if she just had exceptional endurance, or if he was losing his edge.

"Fuck... that was..."

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"I've never been with a man before. Thought I wasn't into it."

Nick laughed.

"I've got a very well-developed feminine side."

Ariane finally thought to look around (a little late for that) — nobody around.

"And your friend?"

"Yeah, if I know her, and i do, she's probably waiting for you in the showers. If that's your thing."

"Seriously?... God... I'm going to devour her in the sauna, like, I mean..."

"Relax. It's the kind of shelter where people do what they want, with whoever they want. You included, if you come. I hope you come."

They got up, and Nick got dressed again; she caught sight of the ring, panicked instantly.

"Shit... you're married? Damn it..."

"She's not going to mind. She's actually going to be very curious."

"You two have an open relationship?"

"Not sure how to answer that — I already told you, they all do whatever they want there, my wife included. I try to keep up with them. It's harder than you'd think."

"Wow..."

"I know a lot's running through your head right now. It's not that. It's a real shelter. Just go, spend the day, no strings attached."

"Okay, if you don't mind..."

"The sauna, yeah." He smiled; she took off running.

"I'm sorry."

"Seriously? I thought we were light-years past needing permission from me to sleep with people."

"Yeah, well, that's why I didn't stop it — I just don't like doing it without you knowing."

"Well, now I know, and I honestly don't mind — though you could've recorded it..."

"You wouldn't have liked it, I think."

"Let me doubt that."

"It's... more like Greco-Roman wrestling than sex, honestly. Not bad, but not really my style."

"Now I really want to see it. Sounds like it's not my cup of tea, but... scientific curiosity's kicking in."

"Such sweet things you say."

They smiled; he laid his wife down on the bed.

"With Helen, though — you're going to like that one. 'Finally, someone who pins me against a wall,' direct quote."

"Ooh, that does sound good, actually — makes me wonder if you and I..."

"Shh. Spoilers."

"Ohhh, god... I love you."

She needed him again — time for round two.

"Love you too. Come here, you pervert..."