The Underground

by Ilana Katz Katz

  “So? How are you?” the Queen asked, raising her eyebrows as she poured each of them a glass of white wine.

  “Not too bad,” Shayla said before taking a sip of her wine, and barely pausing before drawing in a little more. The Queen could see the nervousness Shayla was failing to mask. “Any luck finding Nathaniel DeLuca yet?” Shayla asked.

  “Your friend?” The Queen said, pausing. “People are working on it. If he can be found, we’ll find him,” the Queen said matter-of-factly. Okay, it wasn’t entirely true. She hadn’t found him, but she had found out enough to know that he didn’t have anything close to the kind of pedigree that was worthy of Shayla. She had found enough to know that she didn’t really want to find him. “Who is he again?” the Queen casually asked, sipping her wine.

  “He was…. I mean he is one of my workers,” Shayla said, taking her eyes away from her mother’s and pasting them on the glass of wine that she sipped. “I need you to find him, mother.”

  “I’m doing my best, dear!” the Queen said, putting on her best insulted tone until her daughter began to tear up.

  “You’re my only hope.”

  “What the hell is going on here? Hope for what?”

  “I was going to propose to him, or anyway… well, I’d like to, but it’s a little complicated.”

  “What kind of work does he do?” the Queen asked, trying to hide her shock at her daughter considering marriage to a man the Queen had never heard of, let alone met.

  “He’s a laborer,” she said, finally looking her mother directly in the eye.

  “You can’t be serious, Shayla! You mean a manual laborer as your husband?” she said, shaking her head back and forth. “I think not!”

  “He’s not just a laborer, he’s a person!” Shayla said.

  “He’s a man, Shayla,” the Queen screamed, unable to keep her emotions bottled. She stopped herself from saying what she really wanted to say, as that would only cause Shayla to erupt. Her daughter was too easily seduced by those piranhas. This must be some suave guy. No education to speak of, working in the damn sewers and Shayla wanted to marry him? “I’ve heard nothing about this man before a few days ago. Now you tell me you want to propose to him? Oh, and he’s missing. I’ll say that’s complicated!”

  “Well, even if he were here,” Shayla said, lowering her voice, “it’s a little more complicated than that.”

  “I’m listening,” the Queen said, refilling Shayla’s glass, in addition to her own. She couldn’t imagine what else there was.

  “He’s engaged already, a marriage to save himself. He doesn’t love her. He’s 25,” Shayla said, again knowing her mother would understand the rest fully. “His fiancée is a wretched drunk. I’ve spoken with her. Maybe he left because he just couldn’t face marrying her. I don’t really care why he ran off. I’m sure he had a good reason,” she said. “I just want him back.”

  “Shayla, this is sounding more and more like a car chase than a love relationship. You say he just ‘up and left?’ No note? No nothing?”

  “He was just gone, and I know he wouldn’t just do that. His fiancée hasn’t seen him and neither has anyone else,” she said. “What is it? You know something, don’t you!”

  “No, dear. I’m afraid I don’t. I’m completely in shock.”

  But the Queen did know something. She didn’t know Nathaniel DeLuca’s precise whereabouts, but she had her suspicions about where he might be.

  Chapter 15

  Nathaniel, along with thirty other men, sat wide-eyed and silent in the classroom where they’d been deposited. Was everyone as nervous as Nathanial?

  “I’m Eudora. Welcome to Underground Sex. Let’s be clear that this class is not focused on you getting your rocks off. Alright? It you do get your rocks off, that is a mere byproduct of what happens, but remember you’re trying to please her and that is your mission,” she said, holding the chalk in one hand and tapping it on her other palm. That same gesture – by anyone else – would evoke nothing, but every micro movement Eudora made was sexual.

  “Any questions before I continue? Good,” she said before turning around and writing on the chalkboard. A well-cut hole in her outfit on her left buttock revealed a perfect yin-yang tattoo that gave Nathaniel, and probably every other guy in the room, a solid hard-on. When she turned around, she caught him, and probably all of the others, staring, but didn’t seem the least bit surprised.

  “This list is the general overview of different sex categories. We’ll cover all of them, but more importantly, we’ll talk about how you assess women’s preferences. Got it?”

  Gentle sex

  Role playing and fantasies

  Getting kinky

  Fetishes, S&M and Beyond

  Oral sex

  Tantric Sex

  Maximizing the G-spot

  Sex Props

  They all nodded. Nathaniel didn’t dare speak, and it seemed that he wasn’t the only one under Eudora’s domineering spell.

  “Good,” she said standing silently and looking out at the men for a moment. Nathaniel had seen this woman in the hallways. Her hard-edged beauty was unquestionable. Eudora wore a black vinyl suit that hugged every curve of her voluptuous body. Her white-blond hair and the angular cut flattered her high cheekbones, accentuated by a tiny diamond stud that sparkled on the side of her nose.

  When Nathaniel saw her crystal blue eyes, he felt like she had a laser vision. How did she get involved in the Underground? How did any woman get involved in it?

  “Let’s start with the basics. You, as a man, have a big job. First of all, you must work to quickly identify her daily desires and needs. Women get bitchy when they don’t have a sexual release,” Eudora said quite matter of factly. “It’s your job to make sure she’s getting it the way she wants it. Believe me, your life will be better for it. Does she like it soft and romantic? Look for the clues. Does she talk about making love or fucking?” Eudora paused for emphasis, walking back and forth across the wood floor in her boots that echoed with each step. “If it is the former, you put rose-petals on the bed or draw a bubble bath for her. You’re all taking aromatherapy so you’ll know how to determine the perfect scent for her, right?” she asked, rhetorically, but their heads obediently nodded.

  “Good. You know you need to master that to get out of here. Above all, always be thinking about her and her needs. Be resourceful,” she said, pausing again.

  “Moving along, when you do finally get your cock into her, does she grab and pull you harder? If so, she is telling you she likes it hard and fast. Clues are everywhere. You need to be ready for anything. You need to be in shape because you must be able to deliver. Does she like to receive oral sex? Well, you better know how to do it right. Not some sloppy version of sticking your tongue out for three licks. And for God’s sake, shave! Does she like a lot of different positions? You should be knowledgeable about all of them. Which ones will give her the maximum amount of pleasure? Pay attention all the time and you’ll get the answers from her.”

  “Let’s talk about sexual positions. In your reading materials, turn to the first page of The Positions Chapter. We’re going to go through each of these positions fully clothed, gentlemen, to figure out exactly how these work. If you think you can learn them from looking at a piece of paper, you are wrong. There are nuances that you can only know from getting down and dirty. Pick a partner. The last lucky bloke will get to have me,” she said without smiling.

  “Partners?” said the timid guy sitting next to Nathaniel.

  “Sure,” Nathaniel said. Nathaniel had seen this guy around. He was slightly heavyset, although he had definitely lost weight since Nathaniel first saw him.

  “You play the woman,” Eudora said, tapping one person from each partnership on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, men, you’ll each be playing man and woman several times before this class ends.”

  Nathaniel felt like an absolute fool as Eudora instructed him, as the “woman,” to lie on his back on the floor, wi
th this other man holding his ankles up in the air, spreading them wide.

  “Look your partner in the eyes. If you’re supposed to be the man, pretend you are looking at a woman. If you’re supposed to be the woman… well, you get the idea.”

  Nathaniel could barely bring himself to look this man in the eye, but when Eudora came around to inspect, he did as he was told. Everyone did.

  “Tell her you love her, each morning. Tell her how beautiful she is. If she wants to see a movie, or see an art show, you must enthusiastically agree. Whatever she wants to do, act interested. This type of behavior will please her and put her in the mood. Soon, you will get a chance to test this out, so you better fucking get it right,” Eudora said.

  Nathaniel got a chill as her eyes bore right through him.

  ——–

  “I don’t think she should have made that speech,” Shayla said to Gerald the morning after the Webavision broadcast. They sat having morning coffee in her pink suite, just as they always did when Shayla was home.

  “Remember that she has run this country, quite successfully, for decades. She knows what she’s doing,” Gerald said, before taking a sip of coffee from the cup that displayed the royal pattern of the Queen’s crest.

  “But the chip isn’t even ready.”

  “People will find out, and it’s better if that information is released in a controlled fashion,” he said.

  “What do you think of the chip being inserted in baby boys, anyway?”

  “My opinion doesn’t matter. I work for her and take my duties seriously,” Gerald said. As usual, Shayla found his façade unreadable.

  “What do you really think, though. Between you and me?” she asked, taking a bite of a blueberry muffin that made her think of Nathaniel and the ones he used to bring from Chester’s Bakery. Even the Palace’s baker version was sub-par compared to Chester’s.

  “I think that I should get to work, that’s what I think,” he said, rising from the couch.

  “How can you be so even-keeled?” She said, softly. “C’mon Gerald. You and I both love my mom, but why do you protect her? I think it’s time for a change in this country – and not the kind of change that she is proposing. Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t agree.”

  “You had best keep that to yourself,” he said curtly.

  “If I don’t speak up, who will? In a certain way, I am the only one who can really speak up,” Shayla said.

  “Be careful.”

  Shayla didn’t want to dig further. Would her mother actually go against her?

  “Sorry, I didn’t meant to dump on you,” Shayla said.

  “You can always talk to me,” Gerald said, a peek of emotion surfacing, like a warm blanket to Shayla.

  “There is something I wanted to ask you about,” Shayla said. She felt certain that he would always be truthful to her, but still, his loyalties spanned to both her and her mother.

  “Anything,” he said.

  “I have asked my mother to help me find someone who went missing, someone dear to me. Do you know if she’s found anything?”

  “I’m sorry I can’t help you with that,” he said, noncommittal, keeping his eyes on hers, entirely unphased. Did he know something? Shayla looked at him and wondered.

  Chapter 16

  From the outside, the sex chamber had a door like all the others at the Underground. The inside, however, was unlike anything he had seen there. It looked like a real bedroom, not a bunker.

  As the guard opened the door for Nathaniel and then locked the door from outside, Nathaniel’s pulse elevated. He surveyed the room. There was a lamp in the corner next to an elegant love seat. On the other side of the room was a full-sized bed, the first double-sized mattress he had seen in quite a while. There was even a carpet. The sight of it made him want to remove his shoes and curl his toes into it, but he refrained, remembering Eudora’s first lesson. “It’s not about your pleasure.”

  Surely the hidden cameras were rolling. He looked for them in the corners, but they were probably miniscule and could be anywhere.

  He was alone, but knew he wouldn’t be for long. Should he already have his clothing off and be under the covers when Eudora entered the room? Should he stand in the corner? God, he was nervous. Finally, he settled on the love seat. He tried to wipe the nervous sweat from his palms, but was unable to gain full composure. He had never been put on the spot quite this way. He was very worried that he wouldn’t be able to perform.

  He quickly realized that if he was able to get hard for Janice, Eudora would be easy to get excited for. She was extremely hot. Besides, he hadn’t had sex in months and he could sure use that release. In any case, he had to do this.

  He considered this a personal challenge, on top of what the Underground declared. Maybe he could get Eudora to smile or at least emit a sound of true pleasure. That would be a feat. As he thought about this, the door opened. Any crumb of confidence dissolved. Of all the zillions of scenarios he pondered, practiced and studied, the vision before him was not one he anticipated. He tried not to show the surprise on his face as this unexpected stranger stepped silently into the room. Where was Eudora?

  The woman stood quietly, clearly waiting. His heart pounded as he tried to assess her needs. She was from a different generation, and he knew to take that into account. The lines and wrinkles of age accentuated her frown. Her hair was long and untamed, but not in a beautiful way. She had tried to tuck the wiry gray bundle of hair back into a sensible barrette. She wore a plain dark skirt that flowed past her knees, and a practical long sleeved blouse that did it’s best to hide her ample middle.

  “I’m Trisha,” she finally said with unmistakable shyness.

  “I’m Nathaniel,” he said, trying to figure out what to do next. She didn’t move.

  “Would you like to come and sit down here?” he asked, motioning to the seat beside him. She barely nodded as she walked over. He hoped she would say something, but all she did was look at her shoes, which reminded him of his grandmother. It was a thought he tried hard to shoo from his mind. After all, he was trying to prepare himself to perform a sexual act with this woman!.

  “What do you do?” he asked, trying to sound interested. No reply. “Tell me about yourself, Trisha,” he said. Still, no reply. He was growing more nervous, conscious of the cameras. There would be a review and critique after class, frame by frame, like the football analysts did on the Webavision after each play.

  It was imperative to connect with her, and quickly. In order to ever leave the Underground, he had to pass this test. He needed to understand how to cater to any woman. But, how?

  “You look like you have a lot on your mind.” As though unlocking a door, Trish began to speak, quietly and slowly. She spoke about how her brother died, how close they were… how sad she was. She looked down at her hands as she spoke, and Nathaniel noticed her fingernails had been bitten all the way down. He listened closely to her story, trying to appear concerned, as though she was the only woman on earth. While listening, he tried to think of what to do next. That was his goal.

  He gently took her hand, and she allowed it. She looked up at him, and revealed more of herself, about her childhood, about what she was feeling. He knew he had broken the spell and as he leaned in to hold her body, he felt her soft flesh snuggle into him. He pulled her closer and realized this was, perhaps, all she wanted.

  He needed to pass the test in front of him and hoped he was right. Admittedly, he was more than a little relieved not to have to have sex with this woman who held no spark for him. Some time passed with the two of them cuddling, and he figured things would end soon. He didn’t know how he would know it was over, but presumably she would tell him. He had been a perfect gentleman. He smiled to himself, knowing he had done well.

  “Would you kiss me, Nathaniel?” she asked, and suddenly he realized he knew nothing at all. He was back at square one. What did this woman want and need? He must always think this way. There was no rest for a man t
rying to understand a woman.

  Without a word, he caressed her ruddy face, and smoothed the wild, course hair that was straying from the barrette that had slumped to one side. He looked into her cloudy brown eyes and gently kissed her. As much as he didn’t want to, he knew that it had to be genuine. She kissed him back, and pulled him close before lightly placing his hand on her breast, first it was outside of her blouse, and then she gently guided his hand beneath her blouse, and finally she revealed her big white brassiere that looked about as sexy as a pair of baggy sweat pants. He reached behind her and unfastened the six sturdy hooks that held it closed. Her large breasts spilled immediately downward past her waist. He reached to touch them, consciously forcing himself not to flinch at the softness of her flesh. She was clearly enjoying his touching. He was glad, as he knew it was important to pass the test. He thought back to how he used to please Janice by pretending. Trisha was much nicer than Janice, but she was older, and saggier.

  They slowly undressed until they were both completely naked. She wordlessly rolled onto her back and spread her legs, revealing herself to him with a starkness that he did not savor. He wished she would ask to turn out the lights, but she clearly wanted him to meet her eyes with his. As he entered Trisha, he did his best to give her all the pleasure he would need to give to any woman, even though he nearly recoiled at the task. The bed squeaked to the slow rhythm of their movements.

  “Keep going. I’m coming. I’m coming, but not yet,” she whispered to him. It took an effort to maintain his hard-on, but he managed by thinking about Shayla.

  Her climax was obvious with a soft yelp of pleasure that was a signal. It took effort for Nathaniel to come, which he could only do with his eyes closed, picturing Shayla straddling him in her office, which he had taken pleasure in so many times. It had been more than four months since that time.

  “You were a little slow picking up on what I wanted,” she said, breaking character as soon as she caught her breath, not a minute after he was done. He realized she was a great actress. This woman wasn’t shy at all. “First time, so that’s okay, but you need to really pay attention to the woman’s cues,” she said. With that, she got dressed and left.