by Kat Stiles
“The experimentation? The cages?”
She nodded. “Enhanced are treated like animals, forced to do their bidding or starve to death.”
“How can you stand to work there?” I’m sure the disgust in my voice was obvious, but I couldn’t fathom how she could do it, how she could work there knowing what she did.
“It’s hard, I’m not going to lie.” She glanced at me. “It’s why I told them you weren’t enhanced. I didn’t want you to suffer the same fate.”
What is her angle? “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful, but you don’t even know me. Why would you risk your job and being discovered for me?”
“Maybe I want to know you,” she said quietly.
I remembered what she said to the boss man, how she’d been watching me for the past month. Probably why she moved into the complex.
“I guess in a way you already do. You’ve been watching me this whole time?”
She pulled into the condo parking garage. “You were my assignment. To find out if you were enhanced. I wasn’t 100% sure until the elevator ride.”
It was sloppy to shapeshift in the elevator, but I didn’t have a choice. “I thought I was alone. I should’ve known something was up, by the way Frog was sniffing the air.”
“She’s a good dog.” We got out of the car and boarded the elevator. “You should trust her instincts.”
“Is it smart coming back here so quickly? I know you called them off, but what if they’re still here?”
“Good point. You should change, pick a different man from usual.”
Who to choose? I wanted to impress her, obviously. I was into her before, but she pretty much saved my life. And she was so gorgeous. “Any preference?”
A mischievous grin appeared on her face. “Long hair?”
I knew just the guy, someone I bumped into at the gym. Muscles but not bodybuilder huge, long black hair and tall. I slipped off the tank dress to change into the clothes and shoes I’d been wearing before the OCEI ambush. Her eyes lingered on my naked feminine form. I found it erotic, her voyeurism. She bit her lip in the sexiest way, and her eyes grew large as she watched my body transform into a man, filling out the suit I now wore again.
She reached out to touch my face. “That’s so amazing. You have the coolest power.”
When her eyes dropped down to my lips, I made my move. At first, I kissed her slowly, but she pulled me in closer, kissing me deeper. As the elevator doors opened, I was vaguely aware of other people around us.
“Ella?”
The cold voice of harsh woman, aka Carol. Of course she was right there. Where else would she be, having a life?
Ella broke off the kiss and cleared her throat. “Joseph told me to pack up my stuff, the assignment is over. This is John, he’s helping me move.”
“Helping, really?” The sarcasm dripped from her voice. And maybe just a bit of jealousy.
Ella moved uncomfortably close to her. “Carol, is there a problem?”
“No, ma’am,” she said, her eyes looking front. “The team should be out of here in five minutes.”
“Good.” Ella walked past her and motioned for me to follow. I smiled at Carol and gave her a little wave by way of greeting.
She nodded, and a small smile appeared on her face. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Carol were flirting with me.
Seeing Ella dominate over Carol was downright sexy. I had to tell myself to keep my guard up with this woman. Her intentions seemed kind enough, but she had been deceiving me this whole time. I thought this, but then caught another glimpse of her ass. Even in the business type suit she wore, it was clearly the kind of ass you wanted to grab in both hands. Total perfection.
She unlocked the door to her place, and once we were inside, she shoved me against the closed door. Her mouth covered mine, kissing me with the kind of intensity that can only lead to one thing.
A thing I hadn’t had in ages. I got an erection just looking at her ass, with her body now rubbing up against me, against it, I was beyond hard. I so wanted to rip off our clothes and fuck. The kind of hot, fast, wild sex you see in movies.
My whole body ached, begging for release. I grabbed one of her breasts, massaging it as she moaned in pleasure. She broke off the kiss, turning around to rub her ass against me. She guided my other hand to her other breast, and I’d never been so turned on—listening to her moans and feeling her exquisite breasts as she grinded against my cock.
“Fuck me, Tyler,” she whispered.
I don’t know what it was that snapped me out of it. Perhaps it was hearing my name. But something in the back of my head made me stop and pause. I just met this woman. Today, actually. And now she wants to have sex with me? These things don’t happen to me. I don’t think they happen to anyone outside of pornos, really.
I exhaled. “I… I’m really thirsty, can I get a glass of water?”
She stopped grinding and turned around. “NOW?”
“Shifting makes me thirsty,” I explained, hoping that was a good enough excuse. Was I questioning my own actions? Yes, yes I was. But I spent a good portion of my adult life being paranoid. Something didn’t quite add up with the beautiful Ella.
“Good to know.” She grabbed a water out of her refrigerator and tossed it to me.
I took several large gulps, unaware of just how dehydrated I was until the cool water hit my throat. “Thank you.”
“Now, where were we?” Her smile took on a sadistic quality, as she pulled me by the waist of my pants. We ended up in her bedroom, and she pushed me down on her bed.
“Ella…” There was a thought in my head, I’m sure. But it promptly disappeared when her shirt came off. Then her bra, and those perfect breasts were freed. She massaged her breasts, groping them with even more force than I had used earlier.
I suckled one of her breasts, teasing her nipple erect. Her hands furiously worked on her pants, and then underwear. She stepped out of both, and aside from her high heels, she was completely naked. Her body was toned, her skin radiant. Ella’s nudity was nothing short of breathtaking.
“Your turn,” she said, as she started stripping off my clothes. My shirt, then my pants, and I found myself naked on my neighbor’s bed. I remembered my uneasiness in all this. It was like an alarm clock that kept going off, no matter how many times you hit the snooze button.
“I was thinking…maybe we can talk first?”
She let out an exasperated sigh. “I want you. What’s there to talk about?”
The more I considered it, the more it made sense to fuck her. I mean, maybe it is a common occurrence to spontaneously get propositioned to have sex, for someone who looks like this guy with his gorgeous long hair. It’s a possibility anyway. Who am I to defy this gift the universe has given me?
“Yes!” I yelled out, as her mouth closed around my cock. Her tongue worked wonders, coaxing me even harder.
And then I heard the whimper of Frog, from my condo. She started to bark, and the alarm inside my head went off again.
With all the reserve I could muster, I pulled back away from her hot, wet mouth. “I’m sorry, I can’t do this. I mean, I want to, I really want to…but—”
“But what?” She wiped her mouth hastily. “What’s the issue? You like men?”
“It’s not that, it’s just I hardly know you.”
“Well the best way to get to know me,” she said, as she smiled and joined me on her knees, “is to be inside me.”
Chapter 5
It was a sexy thing to say, though it made zero sense whatsoever. My cock was okay with this notion. And I so needed to come. She straddled me, and I was so close to just saying fuck it and sliding inside.
Before I had the chance to push her away, she cursed and muttered, “Fine, we’ll do it the hard way.”
She rested her hands along my jawline, and smiled at me, the most peculiar smile I’d ever seen. There was something calculating, sinister in it.
“You want to have sex with me,
right now.”
A change swept over me, taking control of my body. Frog barked louder still, as if she somehow knew something was wrong.
I watched my hands direct my cock inside her, but it was more like watching a movie than doing it, feeling it.
“What…what’s happening?” I wanted to stop but couldn’t. Of course, my cock was harder than ever, threatening to explode inside her. Even if I had wanted to have sex, I would’ve certainly used protection.
She guided my hands to her waist. “Come for me.”
My hands squeezed her tiny waist, bouncing her up and down on my cock in perfect rhythm. In my mind I felt sick, violated. But my body physically responded to her command, and I erupted inside of her. She arched her back, constricting around me, allowing me deeper in. And then she rolled off me rather abruptly.
I felt so hollow, as control returned to me. I shook my head, to try to clear the fuzziness left behind. But then there was something else. Like a shot of adrenaline, my cells became energized. And then my brain finally kicked in.
She was controlling me… Was it some kind of mental power? But how can she have two powers? My father strictly forbade multiple enhancements, as his tests always resulted in premature termination of the embryos.
“Ella, how did you…” I trailed off as I watched her curl into a fetal position. Her body spasmed, as if an invisible electrical current were zapping her. “Are you all right?”
“I thought I was the stronger one,” she said, between labored breaths. “I wanted your power.”
“What are you talking about?”
A resigned smile appeared. “You don’t know anything about us, do you? Enhanced…”
Ironic, I know, being the son of the man who invented “enhanced” humans. But my interactions with other enhanced as an adult were limited. “I don’t understand how you have two powers.”
She wrapped her blanket around her naked body. “Sex with other enhanced. My power to persuade was stronger than his invisibility. I took his power, and it killed him.”
I tried to wrap my brain around what she was saying, but it couldn’t be true. Sex with humans kills them outright, and sex with other enhanced kills one partner? Does that mean what I think it means, I can’t have sex with anyone anymore? And power transference? What the hell was that about?
“Surprised you knew I was controlling you. Most people don’t.” She let out a sad, desperate laugh. “I was going to run away after this. Escape the horror show. With persuasion and shapeshifting, they would’ve never found me.”
A tingle started in my toes and traveled the length of my body. I watched, helpless, as my hands phased in and out. And then my John disguise slipped away, and it was the real me, right there for her to see. I turned away, but not before she saw me.
“Shit, you’re really…” Her voice grew weaker.
“Yes. I’m Lipman’s son.” I tried to shapeshift again but was unable to control anything while my body underwent this strange transformation. “What’s happening to me?”
“Your body is activating my powers, genius.” She seemed frustrated with me, like I was an insolent child ignoring her explanation. “And I’m dying.”
My skin heated up, I guessed a reaction of the cellular activity happening inside. I could feel the change—my power spliced with the other two. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable either.
“What can I do?” I was understandably confused and torn. She had just tried to take my power, knowing it would kill me. But I didn’t want her to die.
“Nothing,” she said. “Can’t stop it now.”
I lay down next to her, wrapping my arms around her shaking body. Her lips upturned into a sweet smile. And then she stopped moving.
I got dressed in seconds, running from that bedroom as fast as I could. I didn’t mean to kill her—I didn’t even realize I was doing it. There was no denying that she used me. Still I felt regret at her death, if nothing more than a life lost, a chance for an enhanced to redeem herself.
In her hallway mirror, I caught a glimpse of my reflection. It had been over six months since I was my true self, too afraid to be discovered. To have all that hate directed at me. It was bizarre, it felt like looking at a stranger. A single tear rolled down my cheek, as I realized how very much I missed…me.
I took a deep breath and exhaled, remembering the urgency of the situation. Dead body in the bedroom and I’m on the OCEI radar. Time to move.
I listened at the door, before I left her condo. I didn’t think the OCEI would still be there, but I had to be sure. The last thing I needed was another run-in with Carol, though I had to admit, she was kind of growing on me. I switched back to my Tyler form and slipped outside. The hallway was vacant.
I ran to my condo. Inside Frog barked from within my bedroom, with a whimper or two thrown in so I knew just how upset she was at her confinement. With her tendency to be neurotic on a good day, it would take weeks for her to get over this.
When I opened my bedroom door, she jumped on me, knocking me down to the floor. There was no stopping the licking assault on my face.
“I’m sorry, Froggy girl. I won’t ever lock you up again.”
She made the funniest little vocalizations as she licked my face, as if she were trying to talk to me. Her tail wagged non-stop, and I got the impression she was surprised to see me at all.
“Okay, okay,” I said, as I stood. “I missed you too, girl.” I cringed at the claw marks on the door, but then I figured my deposit would be forfeited anyway. There was no way I could stay there, now that the OCEI knew where I lived. And with Ella’s death? They would certainly be questioning me again. Nope, Frog and I were leaving tonight.
I remembered my stash and foraged in my walk-in closet. I sighed in sweet relief—the money was still there.
I had to take a shower. That musky smell of sex was just a painful reminder of feeling helpless, violated. She turned out to be so different than I had imagined. What she must’ve seen at the OCEI, not being able to do anything to stop it, it must’ve torn her up inside. No wonder she was trying to escape it.
The hot water beating down on my back both relaxed and invigorated me. I scrubbed every inch of my body, trying desperately to remove all traces of that encounter, of Ella. She could’ve killed me, and I didn’t even have a clue I was in danger. Next time, I would be more careful. If there ever was a next time.
I had just finished rinsing off when Frog started barking again. The dog was right about Ella, and I was too mesmerized to see the threat. I won’t ever discount her instincts again.
“Tyler, are you in?”
The sound of Gary’s voice perplexed me. My first instinct was to hide, and to my surprise, I turned invisible.
Gary’s voice grew closer, and I realized he entered my condo. What the hell?
Then I heard what sounded like Frog attacking, followed by a Gary scream, and then a dog whimper.
“Fucking mongrel!” Gary yelled. “I thought we were friends.”
I ran out of my bathroom, a towel around my waist. As I passed my dresser mirror, I noticed my reflection, which appeared to be a towel floating in mid-air. I threw the towel down to remain totally invisible. Gary was probably harmless, but since I had no idea what he was doing in my condo, I figured the element of surprise was a good thing.
I joined Frog, who lay collapsed on the floor near him. She favored one paw, which I guessed he had kicked to get her to release him. She sniffed the air, and then turned her head sideways. Her tail started wagging. I stroked her fur to try to calm her, and she rested her head down.
Part of me wanted to punch the shit out of this intruding dog abuser. But then I was curious to know what business he had with me.
He casually strolled around, checking out all the areas and rooms. “I didn’t call the OCEI to come out of this empty-handed,” he muttered to himself.
So he was the dick who called the OCEI on me! But why? Did he know I was enhanced? How?
>
He opened all the closet doors he could find. I didn’t have a lot of stuff, so there wasn’t much for him to rifle through. “Where did you put that briefcase?”
He made his way to my bedroom, but I intercepted him before he got to my closet.
“What are you doing here?” I roared, still invisible.
“Who…Who is that?” Gary’s lip trembled. “Is it a…a g-g-ghost?”
A ghost? Yeah, I could run with that. “Answer my question, mortal! Why are you here?”
Gary’s eyes darted all around. I had to admit, it was fun being a ghost.
“The briefcase. I just want the briefcase. I-If you’re dead, you don’t n-need it.”
The balls on this guy. “How do you know what’s in the briefcase?”
“I don’t. But it’s got to be something good. S-Someone like Tyler doesn’t up and buy a briefcase for no r-reason.”
Shit, he’s right. And incredibly observant. I was impressed for half a second, before I remembered what an incredible douche this guy was. What kind of bad trades did he make, to find himself trying to steal a random briefcase from a neighbor?
I grabbed him by the throat and backed him up against the wall. My fingers squeezed tighter, cutting off his air. “Forget about the briefcase. Forget about this whole little visit. Go to back to your shitty little day trader life and be happy with what you’ve got.”
It felt empowering, using the persuasion. A warmth filled my body, so absolute, so perfect. I could tell this ability was going to be a difficult one to control.
“Now go!” I yelled, releasing a blueish and freaked out Gary. He scrambled out of there faster than I thought he could move.
I wasn’t about to wait around for any other weird shit to go down. I got dressed, packed my bags, grabbed my briefcase and dog, and got the hell out of there.
Chapter 6
The problem with up and deciding to run away is figuring out where to go. This city had been my home my whole life. I knew exactly which elitist pricks to steal from, where all the good restaurants were, not to mention my fence—it’s damn near impossible to find a trustworthy guy.