Acquiesce

by CORY CYR

  I decided to test the waters. “It's very secluded here. You wouldn't need a bathing suit,” I stated rather nonchalantly. I could see her entire body tense and a light blush cross the freckled bridge of her nose.

  “Cass, really, I don't even know you, and even if I did, I could never do that. I'm not that type of woman.”

  “Okay, let's get better acquainted. Come, let's sit down and talk.” I moved toward a grassy patch by the falls and sat, patting the ground next to me. Nic walked over and joined me.

  “Tell me about Chris,” I said blatantly. Her smile quickly faded. A part of me felt it had been cruel to bring it up so flatly, but the professor in me needed her to tell me everything. In order to move our friendship along, I needed Nic to open up.

  “Dee, she told you about Chris?” she asked, trying to blink back obvious tears. I wanted to feel empathy for her, but my mind wouldn't let me fathom loving a live person, let alone someone who had been dead for eleven years. I couldn't say I felt her pain, but I needed her to talk to me, so I took her hand.

  “I know he passed away many years ago and you still feel married to him. Let me ask you, Nic. Would he want you to live as you are now? Would he want you to be alone?”

  “You know nothing—about me or Chris. Who are you to make judgments?”

  “I'm just an observer, someone who'd like to be a friend. Someone you could talk too.”

  Nic sighed and brushed her free hand across her face, attempting to erase any signs of tears.

  “No one gets it, even Pru and Dee, and we've been friends for years. I've known you barely a day. I doubt you'd get it.”

  “Give me the benefit of the doubt and some credit. I told you I'm a good listener. Let me prove it.” I brushed my lips across her knuckles, and even though her body stiffened, her eyes flashed desire.

  She proceeded to tell me about how they met, his businesses, and their life, everything except their physical relationship; somehow she managed to bypass that information.

  “What about sex?” Another blatant question because it appeared the only way to get to the nitty-gritty was to shock her into confession.

  “What the hell? Why on earth would you ask me about our sex life? Who do you think you are?” I could tell she was livid.

  “Nic, I didn't mean to offend you. As I told Dee, I’m studying certain details about human sexuality and combining it with love and romance, hoping to parlay it into a fictional bestseller. Dee told me you were a virgin when you met Chris and that you've been sexually inactive for the past eleven years.” Yes, I realized I’d just thrown Dee under the bus, but I needed a pawn and she was it. Besides, Nic was already pissed off at her so I didn't think it mattered.

  I might have overstated that fact because Nic looked furious. She let go of my hand and stood, her face blushing red and pulling taut. I realized at that moment I overstepped my boundaries and losing her was a real possibility.

  “Take me back. I mean it—right fucking now.”

  Okay, so she wasn't livid. She was royally pissed, and even though Dee was going to get the brunt of her anger, it seemed as though I might get a slice of pissed off pie also. As I stood up, I pulled her into me. Her body was shaking and she was visibly distraught.

  “Nic, I told you it's all kind of research for me. Don't be embarrassed. I think it's actually quite sweet, even though, personally, I'm curious how you maintained celibacy for eleven years.”

  She looked up at me while her body was still pressed to mine. “Monks do it. Priests do it.”

  “That may be true, but their vow is with God. Do you honestly think Chris would have wanted you to never be with another man? Is that what you truly believe?”

  “Well, I won't ever know, will I? So I guess I'll just have to live the way I feel he would have wanted me to,” she said, pulling away from me.

  “Jesus, Nic, I didn't know Chris, but from what Dee said, he was a good man. If he loved you as much as you think he did, do you truly believe he would wish you a solitary life?”

  “I have no idea. I don't know.” Her tears finally gave way and she began sobbing. “I can't imagine loving anyone else. What we had… that… you only get that once in a lifetime.”

  I shook my head and knelt in front of her. “Who said anything about love? Just let go, be free, be wild. I believe there is a carnal woman lurking inside you. Let her out. Let me help you find her.”

  “You want us to have sex?” Her face was sketched in horror, as if having sex with me would be repugnant to her.

  I scowled.

  “No, you and I are going to be just friends, but I want to help you realize your full potential. I want to show you that you're truly a sexual being and love has nothing to do with it.”

  “But, Cass, don't you believe in order to be sexually fulfilled you need love?” she asked as I rolled my eyes, answering with a snort.

  “Oh, Nic, I have a so much to teach you and lots to show you, and trust me, what I have in store for you doesn't require love. I just need you to feel and savor each moment, each touch.”

  The look on her face was not one of elated anticipation. “I don't think I can have sex with just any man. I'm not programmed that way.”

  I got off my knees and brushed my lips across her forehead. “Oh, Nic, the things I’m going to show you will inspire you to crave so many things there may even be a point when you want me touch you.”

  She snickered. “I seriously doubt that.”

  “I'll never touch you until you ask me to, and believe me, I'd be willing to bet it will be more begging than asking,” I said, teasing.

  “Don't hold your breath,” she commented as she brushed grass from her shorts.

  “You’re funny for a recluse,” I bantered.

  “Cass, I've had years to hone my comedic skills.”

  8~Nicola

  By the time Cass and I had gotten back to the resort, it was past noon. We'd been gone almost four hours. Three sets of eyes glared at us as we came trolling up the stairs and out toward the pool area. Pru and Dee snickered at each other, then at me, as if they knew something I didn't. In reality, I knew a shitload they weren't privy to. The pair of eyes that surprised me most belonged to Lorraina. She looked particularly irritated.

  Cass and I separated as I moved over to where Pru and Dee were seated, while he went into the house with Lorraina.

  “Well, well, I guess Pru and I didn't have the correct equipment to prompt you out of your shell. If I had known, Nic, I would have set you up with hot, young cock years ago.”

  “Good God, Dee, when you drink, you are such a bitch. Can't you just be happy that Nic might be finding her way back?” Pru blurted out.

  Dee slammed her drink down and glowered at Pru, then saluted toward me. I sat down in the chair closest to Pru, doing my best to avoid Dee, who had obviously started the morning with a few Bloody Marys and was now drinking straight vodka.

  “Cass just took me on a tour of the island. Did you know there's a beautiful waterfall about ten minutes from here?”

  “I'll bet that's not all he showed you.” Dee smirked while taking another sip.

  “Dee, what the hell is your problem? Oh, I know. You talk too fucking much. Thanks so much for giving Cass my life's history. If I wanted him to know it, I would have told him. It's not your story to tell. I am so sick of you and your mouth and your nonstop drinking,” I spit out as I pushed out of the chair.

  “Wow, did you finally grow a pair or are you borrowing his?” Dee responded, barely looking at me.

  “Fuck off, Dee. Just FUCK YOU,” I said angrily.

  I walked across the pool deck and through the sliding glass doors. Once inside, I heard what sounded like Cass's voice resonating from the room I thought was the library. I couldn't hear what was being said, but I was sure the conversation was between him and Lorraina. I quickly went to my room and undressed to take a bath. The four-hour excursion Cass and I had taken had left me hot and sticky.

  Once the tub was
filled, I sank in, luxuriating in the warm water and enjoying the view out the window. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the edge of the tub as my thoughts drifted to my conversation with Cass. He wanted to help me feel, to bring forth my hidden sexual desires, and still, I wasn't clear why he chose me. Surely, there were better candidates to “experiment” on. I wasn't even sure if it was what I wanted, although it might have been what I needed. I had no doubt there was a big difference between want and need.

  My body felt uneasy not knowing what Cass had in store for me. If I were being honest, I liked his touch when he held my hand and when he pressed his lips to my knuckles, then to my forehead. I hadn't felt that familiar ache in many years. It was a feeling that began in my stomach then settled deep in my core. I hadn't planned to feel those emotions ever again, and then he entered the picture.

  I thought about him, the smoothness of his chest, his sculpted body, and how his narrow hips displayed the full indentation of the V. Then there was the tattoo. I'd never gotten close enough to be able to see what it was and I didn't want to ask him about it, but it aroused my curiosity. There was quite a bit about him that had me dying to know who he really was.

  It wasn't only his body, but his face. He wasn't what I would call traditionally attractive, like the pretty boys I'd seen on the island. However, he was sexually provocative. I’d never seen anyone that looked like him or spoke the way he did, but then of course, I hadn't left my house in eleven years. Maybe all men were packaged like this. There was no doubt that Acquiesce had hit the mother load when it came to supplying its guest with men that dripped sensuality. But none of those other men affected me like Cass. It could have been because we’d spent some time together without pressure or expectation.

  A sigh slipped through my lips as I realized I’d been washing my breasts for the last ten minutes. They felt swollen and my nipples were erect. I dropped the sponge when I recognized my arousal. Even though it had been years and I’d woken from more than a few sexual dreams regarding Chris, this felt different. Cass had put these thoughts into my head, damn him. I’d been quite satisfied without any thought of sexual contact until he brought it up. He’d chosen to stir the pot, and now I was plagued by thoughts of salacious pleasures.

  Frustrated both sexually and personally, I got out of the tub and threw on a robe. I heard a knock and went to answer it, opening it to find Cass leaning against the doorjamb.

  “Am I disturbing you? I can come back,” he said as he stared through hooded eyes.

  “No, I just finished with my bath.” I smiled faintly as I remembered I had nothing underneath this robe.

  “Do you play chess?” he asked as he slid himself past me, his body briefly touching mine as he entered my room. “Nice room, nice view, big bed,” he observed.

  “I imagine your room is just as nice, Cass, and yeah, I play chess, although I'm not really good. The only person I had to play with was my gardener, and he was from Chile and wasn't very fluent in English.”

  “All right, just pretend it's another skill I'm going to teach you, although it may not be as ardent as the others. By the way, you up for tonight? I want to take you with me to introduce you to my research. I need you to see what I do.”

  “I never said yes to your proposal, Cass. I'm not sure if I’m emotionally prepared for what you want me to do. I just don't know. Besides, what you just mentioned about tonight sounds ominous. Not the chess, tonight's event. Is that what I should call it?”

  “How about we call it your initiation into my world?” He grinned as though he knew something I didn't. And in reality, that was true. As scared as I was, I also looked forward to spending time with him.

  “Meet me in the library in twenty minutes. I'll give you a crash course on playing profound chess, and then maybe we can get some dinner. You will join me for dinner tonight, won't you?”

  “I suppose, if you're going to show me how play chess properly, the least I could do is have dinner with you,” I replied, teasing.

  “Aren't you worried what your friends will say?” Cass bantered back.

  “Fuck my friends.” I couldn't believe I’d just said that. The words slipped out before I could stop them. His eyebrows arched as he stared at me, a menacing smile crossing his lips.

  “Speaking of fucking, you should nap after dinner. It's going to be a late evening. I'll come and get you at eleven thirty.”

  9~Caspian

  The look on her face was priceless when I told her I was picking her up for tonight's event at eleven thirty. It was somewhere between being petrified and being intrigued. Regardless of what her body language was, her face suggested a wanton desire. I almost felt evil anticipating her inauguration into every carnal pleasure there was. After all, this was Acquiesce. I had a duty to show Nic the delectable pleasures of a male brothel.

  We spent the next two hours with me showing her how to play chess properly. I had no doubt she’d fibbed and she was really a “ringer,” since her chess skills were remarkable.

  “I think perhaps you lied when you claimed your chess playing wasn't that good.”

  “I may have stretched the truth slightly, but a woman has to have some secrets,” she purred.

  I glanced at her over the chessboard and found her not only alluring, but intoxicating. She definitely produced new and refreshing responses from me. These next few weeks were going to be enlightening. Nic was going to give me so much documentation for my research. The study might become too valuable for a just a single chapter in my book. I might want to pursue writing an academic paper to discuss with fellow colleagues and in my lectures. I would not only be fulfilling my obligation to her, but the one I had with my publisher. I would get my third book, probably a bestseller, and Nic would have not only acquired the adequate tools for handling her future sexual relations, but also she would have experience and seductive talents to go with it. Nic would never be alone again; her new impassioned existence would make sure of that. We would both get what we wanted.

  We continued our chess match for another two hours, and then we headed toward the dining area. All three chefs were busy making different entrees as well as side dishes. We both decided on salmon sitting on a bed of wild rice and fresh asparagus. Many of the guests had paired off for the evening, including Pru and Dee. There were several couples mingling in the dining area and a few seated at the bar. As Nic and I headed out to sit on the patio, Pru gave us both a sideways glance. Nic passed it off and continued out the sliding glass door. There was only one couple in the pool, and once they saw us, they retreated indoors, no doubt to continue the activity they’d been engaged in while in the water. Nic had seemed oblivious to their business, but I was very acquainted with fucking while in water. It took privacy and skill.

  We found a place to sit away from possible public viewing and began eating our dinner.

  “So tell me what we're doing tonight. What is it you really do, Cass? I'm dying of curiosity. Don't you think I should know a few details before I allow you to take me to the dark side?” She giggled, but I wondered if she knew how accurate that statement might end up being. “Tell me about tonight, and why so late in the evening?”

  I speared a piece of asparagus and chewed slowly. “I told you I'm studying sexuality, well, more sexual behavior than anything, and combining it with a romance story I hope I can turn into a book. Most of what goes on here at Acquiesce takes place in the evening. I mean, naturally, there is sex all day long, but at night, that's when the real action occurs.”

  “Okay, how do you research it or document it? I almost hate to ask,” she asked, her tone hesitant.

  “I watch them.” With those three words, I saw Nic drop her fork, her mouth suspended in an O. Her cheeks blushed a deep pink as she looked around, flustered.

  “Jesus, Cass, they let you?”

  I stifled a laugh. “Not exactly. Two-way mirrors,” I replied quietly as I continued to eat.

  “Shit, do they know? I mean, how does someone have sex if
they know someone is watching them? I'm not comfortable doing that. Isn't that voyeurism?”

  “The truth is a few of the escorts know I'm there, but it's very confidential. I could never get reliable statistics if the women knew; they'd be too self-conscious. I take notes, but I never use names or any kind of personal data that could be traced back to them. I assign each guest and escort a number and I use those as reference. Of course, this will be my basis for a fictional story. This is my last month and the final group of women.”

  I watched as Nic pushed her unfinished plate away and took a sip of her beverage.

  “Damn, you take your research seriously. All this for a romance novel. I had no idea. Did you assign me a number? Am I on your list?” she asked in a hushed voice.

  “No, I never assigned you a number because I knew you were different, a unique case study, and now that we've become acquainted, I want us to have a special relationship. I'm going to help you, Nic, but you need to trust me. My research as well as my years studying sex—as well as engaging in it—along with my writing has helped me understand sexual issues better.” I reached over and brushed the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip. Not only did that evoke a physical response, but also my shorts suddenly tightened as I felt my cock swell. I had no idea why this kept happening. She was, simply stated, a project—my pet project.

  “I'll go with you because I suppose I'm curious, and I guess I can pretend it's a reality show, but I'm leaving if I have to watch Pru or Dee. There isn't enough Clorox on this island to scrub those images from my brain.” She looked at me with a mocking smile, but I could tell there was eagerness in her eyes. I recognized hunger.

  “Don't worry, Nic. Pru and Dee aren't on my schedule tonight. I need you to be open to this, though. I sense your hesitation and discomfort at the thought of watching two people have sex.”

  “Well, yeah, I'm sorry, I'm not used to seeing strangers or for that matter anybody having sex. I've always considered making love a private act between two consensual adults.”