Searing Lies (Love, Power & Sin)

by Marie Astor

  Snap out of it, Ally thought as she turned off the water and toweled off. She couldn’t completely block her mind from thinking about Instructor Morrissey, but she knew when enough was enough, and today she had exceeded the allowable quota. She must never forget the true reason she was here. She had worked hard to succeed in the training program and she was prepared to work even harder to graduate. Then the real work would begin: she would use the agency’s resources to find out who ruined her father and finally get her revenge.

  ***

  Ally was a few minutes late for Professor Morrissey’s class and was relieved to see that he wasn’t there yet. She quickly took her seat, thanking her good luck.

  “I see you took your time primping,” Delilah observed. “Your hair looks really nice.”

  “Thanks,” Ally whispered. “I’m glad you like it. Where’s Morrissey? It’s not like him to be late.”

  “Don’t worry. Prince Charming will be here soon enough,” Delilah shot back. “Or not,” she added, her eyes widening as the classroom door opened and a striking looking woman walked in.

  The woman seemed to be in her early forties, but she had a body that most twenty-year-olds would envy. Her face looked flawless, aided by carefully applied makeup, and her blond hair was styled in a French twist. She was dressed in a black pencil skirt that fit her as though it had been sewn onto her hips and a white blouse that had a bow in the front, right above her cleavage.

  “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,” she greeted them. “There’s been a slight change to the schedule and we haven’t had the chance to print out new schedules. Would the following students please form a line in front of the class? We’re going to go into a separate classroom afterwards.” She began reading off the names of the recruits, which for some bizarre reason were all female.

  When Ally’s name was called she stood up and joined the rest of the women in the front of the class.

  The woman finished the rest of the list. “Please follow me, ladies. We’re going into a different classroom. As for you gentlemen, please remain seated. Your instructor will be with you shortly.”

  Ally and the rest of the recruits followed the mysterious woman, wondering what on earth was going on.

  Shortly afterwards they reached a classroom that had remained off limits up until now, and Ally instantly understood why. At first she thought that her eyes were deceiving her, but after blinking repeatedly, she knew that it wasn’t the case. At first glance the classroom looked no different from the rest of the classrooms in the building except for the fact that there were plastic dildos on each desk.

  “Please take your seats, ladies,” the woman asked, completely oblivious to the dildos. “I hope you brought your notebooks. You’re going to take lots of notes in this class,” she added with a wry smile. “My name is Rebecca Burton. I’m a consultant with the agency, and you may address me as Instructor Burton. For the remainder of the training we will be meeting in this classroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so please mark your schedules accordingly in case those new printouts don’t come through. As you might have guessed from the props on your desks, the topic of this class is sexual education.” Instructor Burton paused as a series of hushed gasps passed through the class. “Don’t sound so shocked,” she continued. “I imagine you’ve all seen a penis before. Now if you pay attention, you might actually learn what to do with one and how to use your skills to your advantage.” She picked up a dildo from her desk, rubbing it suggestively. “Sex is the greatest power a woman can have over a man. Now don’t get your panties in a bunch. The agency doesn’t intend to turn you into women of easy virtue—instead, it wants to arm you with the tools to make men beg and squeal at your mercy. Now, if you could please take your dildos into your right hand, or left if you’re a leftie—”

  Mortified, Ally did as she was told. Sure, she was no virgin, but she’d never actually owned a dildo before. At least she hoped they wouldn’t have to try them out in public.

  “Now, these are the most sensitive parts of the penis,” Instructor Burton began, her fingers gliding sensually over the dildo. “Follow my movements, ladies.”

  Over the next thirty minutes Ally learned things she had never heard of before, as she struggled clumsily to imitate the fluid motion of Instructor Burton’s hands. Judging by the faces and equally awkward hand movements of her classmates, Ally wasn’t in the minority. The only one who seemed to be comfortable was Delilah, her hands effortlessly copying the instructor’s movements.

  “That will be all for today, ladies,” Instructor Burton announced. “Take your dildos with you and practice. I expect to see significant improvement for our next class. We’ll have a pop quiz.” She winked. “I suggest you stick to the exercises we discussed. These are agency property and you’ll have to return them at the end of the program, so make sure they’re in pristine condition,” she added pointedly. “Have a good day, ladies.” With that, Instructor Burton left the room, her high heels loudly clicking on the hallway’s hardwood floor.

  “Woohoo!” Heather Darlington rose from her seat, twirling her dildo in the air as though it were a lasso. “I sure learned a lot today. I can’t wait to try out all these tricks for real,” she added, licking her lips. “What’s the matter, Ally? Can’t handle the heat?” she asked, as Ally hurriedly shoved her dildo into her purse. “Looks like you have to work on your touch, or haven’t you listened to anything Instructor Burton was saying?” Heather stroked her dildo, pressing it against her breasts.

  “I just happen to prefer the real thing to silicone,” Ally spat back.

  “I’m sure your roommate there could give you some pointers. She was doing so well in class. By the looks of it she must’ve had lots of practice.”

  Unlike her usual self, Delilah merely lowered her head, gathered her purse, and headed for the door.

  Ally hurried after her roommate, catching up with her in the doorway. “Ignore Heather. She lives to make people miserable. Hey, do you want to run down to the dorms with me real quick? I don’t want to carry around a plastic penis in my bag for the rest of the day.”

  “I need to stop by the library and print out my homework for Reed’s class,” Delilah replied. “Do you mind taking mine with you?”

  “Why not? The more the merrier.” Ally quickly shoved Delilah’s dildo into her purse. “I’ll see you in a few. I’m going to need some pointers from you later though. I don’t think I remember half of the stuff that she showed us. I just hope that I’ll never have to use any of it in a real assignment. I would totally bomb. Now you see why they picked you for the program? You’ve got an edge over all of us in the sex department—”

  “Yeah, I got it.”

  Ally wanted to bite her tongue. “Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”

  “No, I understand. I don’t mind—you have a point. You shouldn’t have to sully your hands with girls like me around,” Delilah shot back, storming off.

  “Delilah, wait! I didn’t mean it like that!” Ally dashed down the hallway after her roommate. Just as Ally turned the corner she collided with another body and was knocked off her feet. She looked up and saw Instructor Morrissey standing over her.

  “Are you okay? I didn’t see you coming from behind the corner. So sorry,” he said, offering his arm for her to lean on.

  Ally was halfway up when she realized that her bag was on the floor a few feet away from her with its contents, including the two mementos from the sex class, spilling out. She scrambled to her feet to grab it, but was too late.

  “I believe this is yours?” Instructor Morrissey handed Ally’s bag to her.

  “Yes, thank you.” Ally took her bag from him and hurriedly closed the zipper, praying that he hadn’t noticed the two dildos poking out earlier.

  “I hope you had a productive class with Instructor Burton,” Morrissey said in an awkward tone that sent Ally’s hopes plummeting.

  “Yes. Thank you. Have to get to class now.” Ally ducked her head an
d stormed down the hall. Of all the embarrassing moments in her life, this one took the cake.

  Chapter 15

  When Ally didn’t see Delilah at the study group after class, she left the library and went looking for her roommate. Her hunch told her that she wouldn’t have to search for long and she was right. She found Delilah cooped up in their room, seated on the bed, hugging her knees. The only acknowledgement Delilah gave to Ally’s presence was to look away.

  “I’m sorry,” Ally said, taking a seat. “I didn’t mean to say what I said. It was stupid of me. I was nervous. I say stupid things when I’m nervous.”

  “It wasn’t stupid—it was true. You don’t have anything to apologize for.” Delilah pulled her hair behind her ears. “I’m the one who’s stupid. I’ve been trying so hard to fit in when it’s obvious that I never will.”

  “What are you talking about? We fit in.”

  “You fit in. I’m only tolerated because of you.”

  “That’s not true. Doug and Mike like you.”

  “Yeah, sure, they’re guys. But Heather hates my guts, as do all the girls in the program.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Yes it is. They always look at me funny. It’s like they can tell that I’m different from them. I’ll never be good at this. You were right in what you said earlier—the only reason they offered me a spot in the program is so that I’d continue being an escort, only working for the agency instead.”

  “I didn’t mean for it to sound like that. I’m so sorry I made you feel bad,” Ally said softly. “That class made me so nervous that I was just blabbering on without thinking. But now that I have thought about it some more, it’s just like Instructor Burton said—sexual attraction is a very powerful tool. She didn’t say that we’d have to sleep with men to get information out of them, but that she’d give us the tools to make men do what we want them to do. It’s like special pressure points in martial arts, where you can hit a person in a particular spot and paralyze them. Sure, it sounds a bit unorthodox and taboo to use sex that way, but I’m starting to think that I’d like to learn how to do that. I don’t know if I’d actually use it, but to have the option could be pretty neat. And you already know all this stuff, which to me is pretty cool and also pretty intimidating.”

  Delilah sniffed. “Yeah, right. It’s about the only thing I’m good at.”

  “Would you stop putting yourself down? There are lots of things you’re good at. You’re doing just fine. Your grades are fine. Everything is fine.”

  “Exactly—fine, which means average. I used to be extraordinarily good at my job and I’m starting to think that that’s the only thing I’m good for. I’m such a mess. Delilah Jones isn’t even my real name—it’s Delia Jones. But who the hell wants to be called Delia? I changed my name when I started working for Clarissa—first it was my work name and then I legally changed it. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

  Ally took her roommate’s hand. “You’re Delilah Jones and you’re an amazing friend and a wonderful person. And it’s about time you started believing it because I’m getting tired of trying to convince you.”

  “Okay,” Delilah mumbled.

  “What was that? I couldn’t hear it.”

  “Okay!” Delilah said louder, grinning.

  “That’s better. Now do you think you could give me some pointers for the sex class?”

  “Only if you promise to tutor me for the midterms.”

  “I already promised you that. You’re going to pass everything with flying colors. I, on the other hand, am worried about failing Rebecca’s pop quiz, whatever that is. I think I was the worst in the class today.”

  “You weren’t the worst,” Delilah assured her. “Everyone else was pretty bad too.”

  “Thanks! That makes me feel so much better.”

  “You know what they say, practice makes perfect. So bring those bad boys over here.”

  Ally reached for her bag and handed Delilah one of the dildos. “I’m not sure which one is yours. They both look the same.”

  “I don’t care—they’re both virgins and will remain so. Remember what Rebecca said, these dildos are agency property and we have to return them in pristine condition, so don’t even think about using them on your lady parts. I can’t believe I just said ‘lady parts.’ I feel like I’m in a 1950s movie.”

  “I wasn’t planning to,” Ally retorted. “Now can we please get started?”

  “Someone is impatient! Hey, how come you had them in your purse? I thought you were going to leave them in the room?”

  “I was. You don’t want to know what happened,” Ally groaned, covering her face.

  Delilah’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes I do! And you’re going to tell me.”

  “No, I’m not. Now let’s practice.”

  “Yes, you are! Or you are on your own with the big boy here.” Delilah waved one of the dildos at Ally.

  “Fine, I might as well tell you since you’re to blame for it. When I was chasing you after class I bumped into Morrissey and dropped my bag with the goodies from Rebecca’s class spilling out. I was hoping to get to it before he saw it, but the gentleman that he is, he handed me the bag. I’m pretty sure that he saw the penises.”

  “Classic!” Delilah erupted in a bout of laughter. “I swear you can’t make this stuff up.”

  “Thanks. It was the most humiliating moment of my life.”

  “I think you’re looking at it all wrong—maybe Morrissey will finally get the message. I mean, you couldn’t possibly get more obvious than shoving a plastic penis in his face.”

  Ally blushed in spite of herself. “I didn’t shove a plastic penis in his face!”

  “Um, sorry, you’re right—you shoved two plastic penises in his face.”

  “I didn’t shove anything in his face! I bumped into him, fell, and dropped my bag because I was running after you.”

  “Hmmmm, what a convenient excuse. Have you ever heard of parapraxis or symptomatic actions? Sounds like a classic example to me.”

  “I think we should leave Freud out of it. Since when did you become a psychologist? Anyway, I believe Freud’s definition had to do with misplacing things or writing a wrong word instead of the one intended. At no point did he mention dildos.”

  “I took psychology in college—before I dropped out, that is. It was the only class I was good at. And I do think it was a classic penis slip—oh excuse me, I mean Freudian slip.”

  “You’re never going to let me live this one down, are you?”

  “Probably not.”

  “Fine, have it your way. Can we please get some penis practice now?”

  “Sure.” Delilah handed Ally the other dildo.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” said Ally expectantly.

  “What are you doing?” Delilah asked.

  “Waiting for your instructions.”

  “Yeah, but what are you doing? That’s not how you handle a dick. Your fingers are all limp and you’re barely touching it. Are you scared of it? Because it’s not going to bite you or anything like that.”

  “I’m not scared of it,” Ally snapped. “Why would I be afraid of a plastic thing?”

  “Are you afraid of the real thing?”

  “I’m not afraid of it,” Ally lied. But then remembering the awkwardness she always felt during foreplay with Ron, she added, “I just don’t know what to do with it. And yes, I feel a little awkward. Okay, a lot awkward. I don’t know . . . it just feels weird holding it in my hand.”

  “You’ve come to the right source. Hold it firmly, like you’re in control,” Delilah began.

  Twenty minutes later Ally’s eyes were wide open with fascination. “Wow, I had no idea about any of these things.”

  “Now you do. It can come in real handy at times.”

  “I bet,” Ally said, feeling extremely naïve and inept. “I wish I’d known about all of this before. Maybe things would’ve been different with Ron.”

  “Was he your first?”r />
  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Pretty much, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. He was lucky to have you and he could’ve told you what he liked.”

  “Maybe he wanted someone with more experience. I always had a feeling like I wasn’t adventurous enough for him.”

  “Trust me, experience is easy to gain. The problem is that once you slept with a ton of guys you can’t go back and unsleep with them.”

  “I guess I could’ve taken the initiative and done my own research instead of letting him take the lead all the time.”

  Delilah smirked. “You make sex sound like a science project. From what you told me about Ron, your sex life wasn’t the problem. He just seemed like a first-rate jerk.”

  “You’re right.” Ally sighed. “Our relationship lacked much more than exciting sex. I guess it’d be easier to fool myself into thinking that he dumped me because I was boring in bed and not because he didn’t want anything to do with me after my father lost his name and his fortune.”