“What have you got against porn?” she replied, changing the subject.
“Aside from the fact that it dehumanizes women?” he asked.
No, it doesn’t, She wanted to yell. Porn is empowering to women. You just don’t want women to claim sexual sovereignty and make their own body-positive choices. Those thoughts, however, now seemed hollow to her. It was as if they weren’t her original thoughts but rather thoughts that were somehow implanted into her. Luckily, since she’d stopped taking her meds, she’d started being able to tell the difference between her thoughts and those that had been instilled into her from an external source.
The next stop on their tour was the art pavilion. It was an airy room that resembled a museum, with plenty of seating areas to admire the various art pieces. Elise noticed that women were well represented in the country club’s art. What really impressed her, though, was that the women painted were not perfect. There were women of all shapes and sizes and ages, with different features and skin tones. Elise nodded her head in approval at the body positive message this would surely be sending to guests—if women were allowed to be members, that was.
“Would you like a glass of wine, Elise?”
She nodded her head to indicate that she would, and he stepped out of the room, returning a moment later holding two huge long-stemmed glasses, holding light golden liquid that was swishing about.
Elise took hers gently from his hand and clinked her glass. She swirled her first sip around her mouth. The wine was bold and tart, with a strong oaky aroma. They continued around the gallery. Uncharacteristically, Elise found herself quite drawn to the art on display. She wasn’t normally much of an art person. But these pieces triggered emotions in her she hadn’t felt in a while. There was a stirring in her belly. She didn’t know just what it was, but the images of imperfect women shown in their best light, on display in this seeming beacon of misogyny, told her to let go of her preconceptions and simply enjoy the details, along with the bigger picture. Elise could have spent hours in that room.
“You seem rather captivated by this one, Elise. What feelings does it spark in you?”
Elise hadn’t even realized she’d been staring at one particular piece for some time now. She noticed that she could look at even just one little corner of the canvas and it was like a separate piece of art in itself. “The details are just incredible,” she responded without looking away. Eventually, she tore her eyes from it and looked around in wonderment. “Why is this art all so beautiful?”
“Because it’s inspired,” replied Dr. Hendrixson.
She looked at him quizzically. “Can you elaborate?”
“Art like this can only be created by someone who’s spent years as an apprentice, attaining mastery over his or her chosen medium, an intimate knowledge of materials, and a deep understanding of the geometric principles behind all great art. Then all the artist has to do is clear his or her mind, and let the spirit of the infinite flow through him.”
Elise considered that for a moment, turning her head back to the painting in front of her. “But where’s the pain?” she asked.
“What do you mean?
“In college, they told us that art is a form of therapy, a way to release all our pent-up emotions, to, um, vomit out all of our pain”
Dr. Hendrixson smirked. “A lot of art does seem like vomit, doesn’t it?”
Chapter 10
Like a glove
“The view’s incredible up here,” Elise gushed, leaning into Gordon, who had his arm around her.
They’d climbed to the top of the tallest mountain around, and were enjoying the small picnic they’d packed while resting for a bit and enjoying the view from the summit.
Gordon took a sip from his plastic wine glass. They’d treated themselves to a bottle they’d carted all the way to the top. “This is what I was talking about. Delayed gratification. Isn’t it all the more satisfying when you’ve earned it?”
Elise nodded, gazing upon the cityscape below that seemed so tiny from up here. The sun was descending in the sky. They’d have to leave soon to ensure they made it back before dark.
“Sure is. But you know what? I’ve been thinking about that. The things you teach in your books and online courses. Don’t you think it’s a bit misogynistic to be giving men such a huge competitive advantage?”
“Whatever do you mean, Elise?” He smiled at her, shaking his head.
Elise loved to challenge him.
“I mean, you’re helping your gender get stronger when they’re already the stronger sex. Isn’t that a bit unfair? You teach things like discipline, camaraderie among men; you help them improve their critical thinking skills, encourage physical exercise when they’re already physically stronger.”
Gordon looked up at the sky, seemingly pondering Elise’s points. “I do see what you’re saying, Elise, but, why do you always seem to think that men and women have to be in competition with one another?”
“Well, because they are. Women seem always to get the short end of the stick. It isn’t fair.”
“That’s only because women are comparing themselves to men at all the wrong things.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, for example, I bet you’re miles better at multitasking than I am. If we had a competition to see who could best juggle six different things at one time, you would probably win. In that area, women have a competitive advantage.”
“Okay, that’s one.” Elise looked at him through skeptical eyes. Was he just pandering to her?
He continued, “Also, women have been shown to be stronger learners than men. So, if you and I were to both be taught something in exactly the same way, chances are, you’d pick it up more easily and quickly than I would.”
“Really?”
“Yup.”
“Women also tend to have stronger immune systems than men, since estrogen is known to fight off infections. So, stick you and me with the same virus, and you’d likely be the one who recovered first.”
“Huh.” Elise nodded, considering what he’d said. Those were all pretty important traits. She’d been ready to slap him if he’d even mentioned the words cooking or cleaning.
Gordon pointed to the sinking sun. “We’d better pack up and get going.”
As they marched back down the path, Elise noticed something in the bushes. “Hang on! I think I just saw a Blue Jay! One sec. I need to get a picture.” She fumbled in her backpack for her phone, switched it on and readied her camera. Carefully, Elise took a few steps off the path to get closer to the bird. She didn’t notice that the fallen trunk she was stepping on had rotted away. The next thing she knew, she’d fallen down a crevice. Her foot was stuck between two pieces of wood, and her leg was cut and bleeding from her ankle all the way to her knee.
“Elise!” Gordon ran to her. He reached his hand down to her.
“Dammit! Ah, that really hurts!” The pain from her cut stabbed into her leg and shot up her body.
“Come on, grab my hand, and let’s get you out of there and cleaned up. I’ve got some saline and bandages in my bag.”
She latched onto his hand and managed to wiggle her foot free. Gordon used all his strength to lift her up and out of the crevice. As he lifted her, his front foot slipped, and a branch scraped it up the side. With barely a wince, he adjusted his footing and continued pulling her up, until they were eye to eye on level ground.
He looked at her bleeding leg. “Yikes, that’s one deep cut. Come sit over here, and I’ll clean you up.”
“Thank you. My hero,” Elise joked. Her heart was still pounding, but she was glad to be free from the ditch. She didn’t know what she would have done if he’d not had enough strength to lift her up. No way she could have climbed that on her own.
As he dabbed her wound with a saline solution, she noticed the blood seeping out of his own leg. “Gordon! You’re cut too!”
“Oh, don’t worry about me. It’s just a scrape. Besides, there’s only enough sal
ine solution for one person. I’ll live.”
Elise doubted that it was just a scrape, and made a mental note to have a look at it when they got back down.
Back at his house, Elise sat Gordon down and squirted saline solution into his wound. “Gordon,” she said sternly. “This is hardly just a scrape. It’s pretty deep.”
“I did it in the name of love,” he winked at her.
She smiled and used the armrests of the chair as leverage to pull herself up and kiss him on the lips. They’d been seeing one another for a few months now, and he’d only recently told her he loved her. She hadn’t hesitated before saying it right back.
Elise admired his masculine body. It was the kind of body the Vaginist movement had taught her to despise—the kind that represented the worst in men. Doesn’t look like the worst in men to me, Elise smiled to herself, taking in his bulging biceps and defined chest as well as the ripples of his abs that showed through his sweaty tank top. In fact, she realized she was attracted to exactly the male qualities she’d been taught was typically misogynistic. She swooned when he was chivalrous. She adored it when he treated her like a delicate flower. And she couldn’t get enough of how he would change his tone of voice from direct and hoarse as he was with other men, to gentle and soft with her.
She nuzzled her chin closer into the nook between his head and his neck. It was her favorite spot. The morning light streamed through the blinds. Elise glanced at the clock on the nightstand. There was still half an hour before the alarm was due to go off.
Her arms made their way around his body and caressed his firm chest. His eyes flickered, and Elise could see the side of a smile creeping across his face.
He turned over, and she turned with him so she could be the little spoon. His muscular arms wrapped around her, making her feel safe. He pushed his hips to hers. He was hard as a rock. His cock pressed into her and she began gyrating her ass against it. They were both still naked from the sex they’d had right before falling asleep the night before, which meant he was able to slip himself right into her. She angled herself so he’d have easy access. He started pumping slowly, breathing hot, heavy breath against her neck. Using her shoulders as leverage, he drove himself into her. His thrusts were deep and slow. She was entirely under his control. His cock felt amazing inside of her, and she allowed herself to submit and surrender entirely to the pleasure. His hand reached around and started massaging her clit. It was enough to send her over the edge. Her body rocked into a screaming climax, and he came inside her as she rode her orgasm to its completion. They both heaved heavily. She turned her head and kissed his soft lips dreamily, panting. Satisfied. Good lord, I love this man, she smiled to herself.
“That was a nice wake-up,” he said, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
“I love waking up to you,” she replied, tapping him on the nose with her index finger, and tossing off the covers and pushing herself up and out of bed. She was full of energy this morning. “By the way, Carey is coming for a visit next Tuesday.”
“Your sister? The one who slept with your last boyfriend?”
“Only one I got,” Elise replied with a sigh, pulling a vibrant chiffon sundress over her head. It fell down her body, hugging her curves.
“I didn’t realize you two made up.”
Elise paused while she looked at herself in the mirror. “Well, she called last week. I’ve been dodging her calls for two years. I figured another step the new me could take was forgiving her. So, I answered.”
“Wow, Elise. That’s very big of you. How did the call go?”
“We both started crying. She told me how much she’d missed me. She probably apologized about thirty-five times over our ten-minute conversation. Said she wanted to see me. I joked and told her she’s not allowed to stay with us nor meet you.”
Gordon got out of bed and walked over to Elise. Hugging her from behind, he kissed her neck and looked at her in the mirror. “You have nothing to worry about, my beauty.”
She turned to face him and gave him a long, passionate kiss. “I’m not worried at all. I was just teasing her. It’s okay if she stays in one of the guestrooms, isn’t it?”
“This place is incredible, Elise. Wow!”
Elise and Carey had just gotten in from the airport. Carey had flown in that morning.
“Thanks. I’ve tried to make it a bit more feminine since moving in. You know, subtle changes here and there.”
“I’ll say. My goodness, look at your apron,” Carey pointed out, tugging at the frilly piece of fabric Elise kept hanging by the oven. “Who are you?”
Carey hadn’t changed a bit. Even when apologetic, she was judgy as ever of her little sister. Elise rolled her eyes and smiled, taking a deep breath and letting it go. Carey would never change.
“And these cookbooks!” Carey flipped through Elise’s collection. Elise noticed her sister’s shiny nails and soft hands. She was taking care of herself as much as ever. “Do you cook every night?”
“Most nights, yes. I enjoy it.”
Carey scoffed, but then stopped herself. Her eyes softened, and her head dropped slightly. She looked at Elise with big puppy dog eyes. “Elise, it’s so good to see you. I’m so sorry again.”
They embraced. Carey smelled of white flowers, vanilla, and cinnamon. Probably an expensive perfume, Elise guessed. She was glad that she’d made up with her sister. She had missed her.
“... even if you are now a nineteen fifties housewife,” Carey added into Elise’s shoulder.
There it is, Elise chuckled, shaking her head.
“Cup of tea?” Elise offered.
Carey nodded, taking a seat on one of the kitchen stools and pulling out her phone. After a moment, she grunted and put it away. “Argh! Todd is driving me crazy.”
“Who’s Todd?”
“Todd is the paramount co-partner of my Hexagon. You know, a six-person relationship?”
“Okay …”
“Right, so he wants to add in an AI robot. And I’m like, uh, I’m a pretty open-minded person, but does he really expect me to fuck six different people and a robot? Like, excuse me!”
“Wow, um—” Elise wanted to say something in response, but she was lost for words.
“And Annika! She’s been so clingy lately. Like, hello some people need their space? She honestly expects me to answer her messages within like three minutes, and to see her at least five times a week. Sorry, but I only have so much time!”
“Who’s—”
“Annika? Oh, she’s part of our Hexagon too—tertiary adjunct to the unimatrix, to be precise. But honestly, I don’t know how much longer any of us can put up with her. We may need to downgrade her. I seriously hope the AI bot doesn’t replace her … not that I would assert biological-lifeform supremacy over It, it’s just not my kink you know?”
Elise stopped trying to keep up or jump in. Carey’s relationship was entirely beyond her reality.
“Anyway, tell me about your relationship. What’s it like being with just one guy? Sounds kinda … I dunno … isn't it a bit dull?” Carey plonked her chin into the palm of her hand, her elbow resting on the countertop.
“I love the simplicity of our relationship, honestly,” Elise replied dreamily, as she poured the boiling water into two bright yellow mugs. “Gordon makes great money, so I don’t have to work. He pays for my schooling, but I’m in no rush. I enjoy staying in and making our house a home. It’s funny, I used to hate the traditional male/female roles, but now I see how much sense they make. Life is smoother. Everything just kind of … fits like a glove. You know?”
Carey flattened her lips, considering what Elise had said. She nodded slowly. “I guess. Hey, whatever works for you.”
Elise brought over the two cups of tea and sat beside her sister, who was once again furiously replying to a text message, grunting as she did so. Elise calmly sipped her drink and watched two birds fluttering in the trees outside, waiting for her sister to finish.
Grunting again,
this time even louder, Carey slammed her phone face down on the counter. “My god! He’s driving me insane.” Carey took a deep, contemplative thought, and then turned to her sister, who was lost in a happy daydream, staring out the window. “Hey, Elise? Does Gordon have any friends I could meet?”
Author's Note
All the new superheroes are women, or so it seems.
In movies, women are now potrayed as powerful, confident, carefree, and bold. They no longer take shit from men, and are no longer dependent on men for money, let alone attention.
Much has been done by Hollywood in past decades to bridge the gap between men and women. We’ve come far as a society, but there’s so much further to go.
Which is why there are even more such movies in the pipeline, from James Bond to Thor, with females taking over traditionally male roles.
As we march boldly into this female-first future, however, there are some of us who think back to simpler times.
Not that any sane person wants to take away the right of women to vote, or to receive equal pay for equal work, but there are some who, at least in the privacy of their bedrooms, imagine a time when women were feminine and men were masculine.
This is why we read romance novels.
This is why the men in romance novels are often muscular, deep-voiced, cocky and unpredictable.
This is why the women in romance novels are often shy, vulnerable, gentle and submissive.
Romance novels allow us to fantasize about the things we are forbidden to talk about in public.
There’s nothing wrong with fantasizing, is there?
Let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.
Email me at [email protected].
Love,
Viktor
From Trixie Provoked
by Viktor Redreich
Sophie Corrupted Page 17