Algorithm
Part 28
Lucy sank into a chair in the corner of the small coffee shop that sat on the edge of campus. It held no affiliation with the college but was still one of the most popular student hangouts. She fidgeted for several minutes, checking her phone every ten seconds.
At exactly half past the hour, like clockwork, Josh walked through the door. Upon seeing Lucy, he approached with a grim smile on his face. “Can I get you anything?” he asked.
Lucy shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She hadn’t arranged to meet with Josh so they could bond over chai fucking lattes, but she knew that she needed to be as sweet as could be if the conversation was going to go the way she wanted. Tilting her head slightly, she returned his tense smile with one of her own and replied, “Espresso, thanks.”
As Josh went to the counter to order, Lucy went over every possible avenue of conversation she could in her head, guessing how Josh might respond and planning her own response to that. She wasn’t sure if he was going to agree with anything she was preparing to ask, but if there was any chance he was, she had to seize it with both hands and not let go.
The wait was agonising, especially when Lucy’s imagination was running wild on her. Things could be happening right now that would actively disrupt her plans. She had always felt that Trev’s friends had been out to sabotage their relationship, and now that they had the means to utterly destroy it, it felt like they were plotting her downfall at that very moment. She had to act faster, she had to be the one to make them all see things from her point of view. She was willing to do anything to win Trev back and keep him. Anything.
Her heart was pounding with terrified excitement when Josh finally sat down and passed her drink to her. She took a deep breath and repeatedly told herself to remain calm, lest she blow the whole thing. “Thanks, how much do I owe you?” she asked casually.
“Don’t worry about it.” Josh smiled warmly this time.
“Oh, thank you,” Lucy said, failing to hide her surprise at the generosity. And here she thought that there weren’t any gentlemen left in the world.
After a moment of total silence, Lucy said, “So can I just get straight to the point?”
Josh almost chuckled at this. “I’d prefer it if you did, I have class in like twenty minutes.”
“I don’t think I even know how to say this…” Lucy looked around the cafe, checking for anyone who might be listening in. “The thing on your computer, the thing we did the other night with it… I feel like… I’m, I guess I feel like...” She hesitated, chewing words over in her mind.
“You feel like you’re no longer in control of your thoughts?” Josh finished for her.
“Yes!” Lucy blurted out. She instantly ducked in her chair, and her eyes darted around the cafe’s occupants once more. After seemingly being satisfied that no one was listening in, she leaned forward and continued in a hushed voice. “Honestly, I feel like I’m not even myself anymore, like my priorities have magically shifted, and my personality is being erased. How is that even possible?”
“How’s it possible?” Josh furrowed his brow. “I don’t know, you’d have to ask a neuroscientist for that.” He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, before also leaning forward and lowering his voice. “Honestly I’m more interested in what exactly is possible. There’s still so much we don’t know about how it works, so right now all we have is guesswork and incomplete conjecture.”
“What have you figured out so far?” Lucy asked. Her drink sat untouched beside her as she leaned across the table another inch.
“Not much, honestly,” Josh admitted. “Most of my free time has involved my tweaking and upgrading the program and the interface. The actual algorithm isn’t even finished yet, but it can now display instructions on the screen or speak via a voice synthesizer, and the user interface is much easier to quickly enter the exact settings you want. It’s pretty good work for a few hours each day. Despite everything, I’m not missing any more classes or practise for this stuff.”
Lucy nodded carefully. “So did you get your memories back from that night I was at your place with everyone? Do you know what happened?”
Josh frowned, then looked off to one side for a moment. “No,” he said bluntly, looking back up at Lucy. He seemed to want to say something else, but held his tongue.
Lucy urged him on with her intense gaze and a brisk, anxious nod of the head. “Really? I thought you of all people would have…” She waited for Josh to reply but, realising he wasn’t going to, pushed instead. “Come on, surely you could just sit yourself down and tell it to put all your memories back in. Isn’t that how it works?”
“I don’t know how it works,” Josh replied bitterly. “That’s half my problem. That’s half the reason I…” he trailed off, before shaking his head and saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“What?” Lucy pressed. She felt like she could topple off the edge of her seat at any moment. “What is it?”
“I can’t say,” Josh replied apologetically.
“Come on...” Lucy urged. “You can tell me.”
“No.” Josh looked at her expectantly. “You don’t get it, I literally can’t. I want to, but I’ve clearly been programmed not to.”
“You know you’ve been programmed?” Lucy raised her eyebrow at this. She hadn’t realised she had at first, all the alien thoughts in her head had felt so natural, like they whispered in her brain in her own voice.
“It’s strange,” Josh admitted. “I know I’ve been programmed to do things, forget things, remember other things only under certain circumstances… It’s bizarre, but I don’t really know how many thoughts are in there.” He shrugged. “The only one I’m certain about is that I’ve been programmed for none of it to bother me.”
Lucy could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She felt so close to her goal, she could almost taste it. “Surely you know how to reverse it? Whatever programming they did to you could be undone.”
“Oh, I know how to do it. I’ve even created an automated script that anyone could use if they were by themselves to remove all programming imparted via the Algorithm or any kind of trance state, the—”
“Seriously?” Lucy almost shrieked in excitement.
“Yeah.”
“Oh my god, Josh, you have to use it! I need to use it!” Lucy exclaimed in hushed exhilaration.
“I can’t,” Josh said earnestly. Lucy saw that his expression said “neither can you,” and her heart sank.
“Why not?” she replied with a cold frown.
“Well, for one, I’m pretty sure I’ve been programmed not to use the Algorithm on myself… But as I already mentioned, I’m not fussed by all the stuff going on in my head. I feel that I should be, that it’s weird that I’m not, but that’s the way it seems to be working.”
Lucy felt anger surge within her. It was time to drive the conversation to the place she needed it to be. “So that’s it?” she seethed. “They’ve programmed you to just not care that they’ve programmed you and not to try and fix it?”
“Yeah. I mean, what exactly do you want me to do with that?” Josh shrugged again. “It’s not what I would have chosen, but Erin, Tiff, whoever else has been talking to me in trance while I don’t remember… They haven’t done anything bad to me per say, like I don’t feel like they’ve altered me as a person. They clearly just want to make sure I don’t decide to destroy the whole thing when I wake up one morning or some shit like that.”
Lucy sighed in exasperation, her fists clenching on the table. Slowly, her voice dripping with venom, she asked, “And what about if they’ve been fucking other people up? What if they’re making other victims feel like they’re losing their minds? Wouldn’t that be a problem for you?”
Josh frowned and looked to the side. When he returned his eyes to meet Lucy’s furious gaze, he gave a slight nod and said, “Yes, it would.”
‘Finally!’ Lucy thought. ‘Some progress at last!’ Her expression softened, and she asked, “So you’ll let me use your program? Let me get rid of these thoughts that aren’t mine?”
Josh mulled this over for some time while Lucy waited on tenterhooks. Eventually he gave another curt nod. “Okay.”
Lucy felt like she could slam the table in triumph. Instead, she let a brief smile appear on her porcelain face. “Thank you. Seriously. I know you have class really soon, but is there any chance we can go right now? You have no idea how important it is that I get this sorted out.” She pointed a finger to her temple and spun it slowly.
“I’m not sure you’d want to go right now.” Josh glanced away again, shifting awkwardly in his seat.
“Why on earth would I wait a moment longer?” Lucy asked incredulously.
“Because Trev is there right now.”
Lucy inhaled sharply, like hearing those words had dunked her into an icy bath. It took a moment, but she found her composure again and replied in as droll a tone as she could. “Oh. That.”
“He came over yesterday,” Josh explained, “clearly upset over something, but he didn’t want to talk about it.”
Lucy felt her insides twist. Her heart ached with the guilt that Trevor was upset after what had happened yesterday. Of course he was, though. She had pushed too far, too fast. Just because she knew what she was doing would make him happy, it didn’t mean he could see it yet. He had to be shown it. He had to be led to the right answer.
“So he didn’t say anything?” Lucy asked nervously.
“No, we just hung out, drank some beer, and played some games. But he’s still there now I think, he doesn’t have class until later, and even then I’m not convinced he’s going.”
Lucy sighed in frustration. Of course she wanted to go running to Trevor and profess her undying and eternal love and devotion to him, but he had specifically told her to leave him alone. Getting her hands on this Algorithm that Josh had was the best way to remove such troubling suggestions and let her focus on what was really important: being a good girlfriend and proving to Trevor that she was right about the suggestions she had put into his friends. Of course, getting Josh alone with the Algorithm was key. She could remove all of his programming as well, and then leave him with the suggestion that he wanted to help her in any way he could. As the one who held the computer in his apartment, he would be particularly useful in getting Trevor in front of the screen. Trevor, after all, had to be programmed to let go of the idea that Lucy didn’t know what was best for him if she was truly to be a good girlfriend to him.
But the current situation required a bit more planning, and the right timing. She couldn’t go after Tiffany or Erin, who she suspected had some leverage over Trevor, because she was forbidden from doing that as well. As much as she wanted to ignore that demand in the name of the greater good, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She had to work in the framework she was confined to. It didn’t mean she couldn’t create the exact situation she wanted.
“Can you perhaps send me a message when it’s just you in your apartment then?” she finally asked. “I could come over, get these thoughts out of my head, and maybe even return the favour?”
“I can do that.” Josh nodded before he looked at his phone. “But yeah, I need to get to class.” He got up to leave and Lucy grabbed his wrist lightly.
“Josh,” she said nervously. She looked up with him and dared to hope he was her salvation from being completely out of her own control. But she still had a burning question. “Why? Why are you helping me?”
Josh grimaced slightly at this, before his face settled into a look of determination. “Honestly, part of me thought I shouldn’t even meet you because clearly something is up with you and Trev. But you sounded really distressed on the phone, and it made me uneasy.
“Look.” He sat back down and leaned forward. “When Trev and Alice first stumbled across that thing, we were fucking around. Erin was a chicken, Alice was a stripper, Tiff was hilariously embarrassed, it was good times. But it’s since gone too far. We’re messing with something we don’t understand and don’t respect, and I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I don’t want to destroy it, I want to see what it can do, but I want us to all have our minds intact while we figure it out. I can’t help myself, and no one else seems to want help. If I can help you, then that’s at least something.” He got to his feet briskly. “Okay, I really have to go now.”
“Josh.” Lucy offered a faint smile. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” He sighed, stepping away. “I’m not doing it for you.”
Lucy watched him as he left, hope ablaze within her. If she could get herself in front of that screen and figure out how to word the instructions she needed to give herself, things would start going her way again. Everything could fall into place.
Erin stretched as she got out of the bed in Josh’s spare bedroom, making a satisfied purring noise as she did so. Trev was lying back on the bed with his hands tucked behind his heads.
“So correct me if I’m wrong…” Erin said with a cheeky grin as she grabbed a sheet to wrap around herself. “But I’m the second chick you’ve fucked in that bed, right?”
Trev snorted in laughter. “You’re not wrong, you’re just an asshole for bringing that up.”
“Fuck it, I’ve been called a lot worse.” Erin winked. “Besides, I bet you a hundred bucks you’ll have fucked Alice in here before the week is out.”
Upon hearing this, Trev choked on his own saliva, and his cheeks started turning bright red.
Erin chuckled. “Oh, point two for me, then.” She jumped onto the bed so she knelt facing Trev. “I can help you get her, you know. Just say the word and I’m on it.”
Trev recovered and shook his head. “God, Erin, I just don’t know, this is all so fucking weird.”
Erin rolled her eyes. “Dude, you need to roll with it! If you didn’t want this, why did you let Lucy do it? Why let her change us?” She then frowned and leaned farther towards him. “Or was it just because that sucked for you? It wasn’t my best ever performance, but it was a long way off my worst…”
“No, you were great!” Trev insisted. He then blinked a couple of times. “Actually, you were amazing... Where did you learn to do that?”
Erin grinned mischievously. “I’ll never tell.” She got off the bed and headed to the door. “So, now that we’ve done the deed, I think you’re legally obliged to tell me the dirtiest thing you’ve programmed Lucy to do for you.”
Trev buried his head in his hands and groaned in protest, though Erin could have sworn she saw him smiling right before he hid his mouth. “Nooooo, Erin I can’t do that!”
“Oh sure you can!” Erin grinned back, enjoying Trev’s reactions as he peered out from behind his hands with terrified eyes. “And if you tell me, I promise to do something twice as naughty…”
“Erin!” Trev complained, running his hands into his hair now.
“Fine! Fine!” Erin threw her arms up, and the sheet covering her fell to the floor. She looked down theatrically, then glanced back up at Trev with a devilish expression. “Better make it three times as naughty…”
Trev blushed once more, his eyes caught on Erin’s bare skin and provocative positioning. “I haven’t programmed Lucy. I thought someone else did.”
“But you have a trigger for her,” Erin remarked with a confused squint. She climbed onto the bed once more and crawled right up to Trev. “You can drop her and program her anytime you want…”
“I do?” Trev rubbed his brow. “I don’t remember anything like that…”
Erin leaned in and kissed him, her soft lips teasing his, and her hands running across his chest. He leaned into her and grabbed her short hair, their tongues sparring passionately.
Erin broke away, leaning far enough back that Trev couldn’t catch her as he leaned after her briefly. Almost laughing with glee, Erin explained, “Of course you don’t remember, it was on the night all of our memories got wiped after all. You must have programmed Lucy before you lost yours.”
“But you remember it all?” Trev asked.
“Well yeah!” Erin bragged. “I restored all my memories, in and out of trance right after you left, and I did the same for Tiff the next night. Alice remembers some but not all of it too. Man, you missed a lot, dude!”
“Fuck. Clearly…” Trev replied with a frown. “Did I miss anything important?”
Erin glanced to the side and her face was overcome with a thoughtful expression. Was now really the time to reveal that his girlfriend was cheating on him? That he had been part of the small orgy that Tiff had inadvertently caused? That Alice sucked him off even? If now was the time, Erin knew that she sure as hell didn’t have the tact to deliver the news in the delicate manner it needed to be.
“Tell ya what…” she offered. “Why don’t we restore all your memories too? All you’d need to do is sit in the chair, and I can guide you through the trance. Much better than me trying to articulate shit anyday…”
Trev looked like he was weighing up the option in his head. He then frowned slightly at Erin. “It’s tempting, but how do I know this isn’t a ploy to get me to sit in the chair so you can turn me into a chicken this time?
Erin laughed heartily. “Oh, please, chickens are so last week. It’s all about brainwashed sex slaves these days…”
Trev blinked. “Say-what-now?”
More laughter. “Yeah, you really need to get caught up to speed. I bet you wouldn’t have many issues with what Lucy did to us if you knew what me and Tiff have been up to the last few days.” She then kissed him briefly once more, this time pulling back only and inch so she could continue in a near whisper. “But if you’re worried that I’m going to do something shady to you, just put me in the chair first, lover. Make me into whatever you want me to be.” She kissed him again.
“Just like that?” Trev asked in between Erin’s affections. As she started to kiss his neck and run her hands down his body, he moaned and wrapped his arms around her. “You’d let me just program you into anything.”
“As long as it made you happy, fuck yeah,” Erin affirmed. She lay her head on his chest and looked up longingly into his deep eyes. “I mean, I think I’m pretty kickass right now, but fuck it, do what you want. Make me your naughty piece on the side, go full poly commitment with me as your devoted beau, reduce me to an on-call sex slave, fuckin’ turn me into an insatiable nympho that needs your cock more than I need air.”
“You make it seem like there are so many options…” Trev mused, running his fingers over Erin’s naked skin.
“That’s because there are.” Erin shrugged. She then started kissing her way down his torso, her hands having already worked their way down under the covers. Grabbing his hardening cock and stroking softly, she sighed in contentment. “Mmmm, looks like you’re waking up again. Lucky me... ”
“Erin… Wait...” Trev said, losing his focus with her touch.
“Tease…” Erin smirked up at him, waiting patiently as she slowed her stroking to a slow, rhythmic motion. “What’s up?”
“This has been great, and you’ve been great… But it isn’t you… I should put you back. I have a girlfriend, I should put her back too… If it’s true I programmed her… I should make it all right, I should… I…”
“You need to stop worrying about what you should do and focus on what you could do,” Erin insisted, crawling on top of Trev. “And frankly, you could do anything. You have power over me, and that’s fucking hot. You have power over your girlfriend too, all you need to do is use it. And yeah, you could put us all back to normal and deal with the fallout of what all this is…” She then lowered herself onto his erect cock and sighed blissfully as she felt him push inside her. Trev cursed under his breath as he grabbed Erin’s ample breasts and squeezed them together.
“But I know what I’d choose if I were you,” Erin finished as she started moving in smooth, pulsing motions on top of Trev. As she grinded on his warm hard shaft, she let bliss and arousal fill her up. As much as she loved this, Erin still found herself thinking of Tiffany, and how much she wanted her there. In her hyper-active imagination, Tiff was in full Mistress mode, dictating her every move as she pleasured Trev in numerous ways, eventually joining in herself. She knew she wanted to make Trev happy more than anything, but she also knew that the picture couldn’t be complete without Tiff.
As Trev leaned into her breasts and started to bite her nipple, she cried out in pleasure and ran her nails all down his back. ‘One last ride…’ She thought. ‘And then I really need to shower…’ but only a few moments later, she realised that she’d rather just stay in bed and fuck Trev all day.
It was going to be a good day.
Tiffany knelt on the floor and gazed up wistfully at the two people sitting on the bed looking down at her. Alice wore an amused smile, her cold eyes scanning Tiffany’s hair and attire. After showering, she had gotten herself dressed and presented to Alice’s exact specifications all while Alice gave her a lengthy list of instructions of what to do if Dillon said this or did that. She seemed to have thought of every conceivable scenario, which was both impressive and scary.
Dillon looked partly bewildered and partly intrigued by both Alice and Tiffany. Alice had greeted him at the door a few minutes ago, and Tiffany could instantly tell that the energy between them was one of awkwardness and uncertainty. It was strange to see her Mistress behave without the confidence and dominance that she knew embodied her, but she also knew that Alice would behave in whichever way she had to in order to achieve her goals. And her goal here was potentially very difficult.
“So what do you think?” Alice remarked, gesturing towards Tiffany. “Obedient, controlled, kinda cute too, right?”
Dillon looked at Tiffany, analysing every detail he could. When he met Tiffany’s eye, she smiled demurely, getting a little thrill at being so thoroughly appraised. Did he like the way she looked? Her clothes? Her makeup? Did he want to fuck her? Choke her? Tie her up and spank her until she couldn’t handle it anymore? Her pussy throbbed in anticipation, and she could feel herself getting incredibly wet already. She was kneeling with good posture, but still moving slightly and letting herself sway gently with her breaths. She knew she could kneel in place with the rigidity of a marble statue if ordered to by her Mistress, but the idea here was to put Dillon at ease, so that’s just what she would do.
“So this is really for real?” Dillon finally asked. “Like actually honest to fuck for real?”
Alice smiled pleasantly. “Well, that was part of the reason for inviting you over, my boy. So I can show you just how for real this is…”
“Well…” Dillon brushed the stubble on his chin. “I’m here, and I’m certainly curious. Honestly I didn’t think I’d be hearing from you again after the way we left things.”
“Oh, well that brings me to the other reason you’re here,” Alice remarked nonchalantly. “Make amends, right wrongs, deliver apologies, and see where that leads us.”
“Sounds reasonable.” Dillon nodded. “What have you got in mind?”
“A few things,” Alice purred. “Let’s start small, shall we?” She clicked her fingers. Instantly, Tiffany perked up, and a surge of anticipation jolted through her veins. “Slave,” her Mistress said. “Dillon’s shoes here look awfully dusty. Come give them a clean like a good girl.”
“Yes, Mistress!” The words flowed from Tiffany’s lips like they were a love poem, and she happily crawled over to Dillon’s feet. He wore expensive looking Nike trainers, and they were in reasonably good condition. Nevertheless, Tiffany leaned down and started administering licks to the shoes in quick successions. The taste was horrendous, but she pushed that feeling deep down inside herself and focused on the fact that she was obeying. She was a good slave. She was obedient and loyal and Alice could command her to do anything.
As Tiffany licked away, Dillon watched in a mixture of amazement and amusement. “So this computer of your nerd friend really is the real deal, then? It really controls minds?” he asked.
“As far as we know.” Alice shrugged. She leaned down and ran her fingers through Tiffany’s hair as Tiffany continued to carefully lick every inch of Dillon’s shoes. “I honestly don’t know how forceful the programming is, to be fair,” she said. “For all we know, little slave Tiffany here might have been willing to do this before she ever went into trance, with the right persuading and buildup of course. It’s hard to say for sure.”
Dillon shook his head and laughed. “I honestly thought you were being crazy and talking bullshit when you came to my place the other day, rambling about having your thoughts twisted in your head.” He let out a long whistle. “I admit I was skeptical, but this is kinda convincing.”
Alice raised an eyebrow and smirked, turning to him. “If you were so skeptical, then why send that voicemail. You surely wouldn’t have done such a thing if this had all been nonsense, no?”
Dillon grinned and shrugged. “Okay sure, a part of me thought it might be real, but if you think about it, I had nothing to lose in doing that. If everything you described was true, then that voicemail should have brought you back to me. If it was all a load of shit, then you weren’t coming back either way. As the only way I could think to get you back, it seemed stupid not to try it. Besides, it only took Ross twenty minutes to splice together that recording, he was getting a good deal out of it.”
“Oh?” Alice looked amused. “And what was he getting out of it?”
“If it all turned out to be actually for real, he was getting your friends, little licky Tiff here and that bitch who cut me. I planned to have a bit of payback with her first, though.”
“Oh, so he gets two girls for his troubles. Quite the bargain, if I say so myself…” Alice chuckled. “And that would have left you with…”
“You.” Dillon looked at Alice intensely. “All I’ve ever wanted since I met you was you, Alice. I hate myself every time I fuck it up, and I hate you every time you leave me.”
Alice blinked a few times, then leaned back slightly. “For real?”
“Yes, for real,” Dillon insisted. “We’re meant to be together, and I need you to see that.”
“Oh sweetie,” Alice said sadly, putting her hand on Dillon’s cheek. “I used to see that, truly I did…” she sighed. “I had it in my head that I could change you, that things would get better one day, but I got worse and you got worse and if I hadn’t left the first time, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”
Dillon’s cheeks were turning a bright shade of red. He stood up from the bed and pushed Tiffany away with his feet. Tiffany looked up to Alice for instruction, but her Mistress simply made a quick gesture for her to stay put. Dillon started pacing around the room, his breathing becoming quicker and more ragged. Alice followed his movements wearily, while Tiffany for a split second glanced at the handle of the knife that was stashed under the bed. She had been instructed carefully by her Mistress under what circumstances she was to reach for it, and she repeatedly wished inside her head that she wouldn’t have to.
“Look, I’m sorry! Okay?” Dillon said forcefully, turning around to face Alice with a face flushed with anger. “I’m sorry about all the crap that happened before, but I can change, Alice. You know I can.”
Alice got to her feet now, standing shorter than he was but clenching her jaw and balling her fist. “I don’t know that you can,” she said coldly. “I know that you can make promises and let me down again and again. I know that over the years I’ve known you, you’ve always pretended like you’re in control of your feelings, and you’ve never been man enough to admit that they control you.”
“I am in control!” Dillon shouted, turning away and thumping Alice’s door. Tiffany jolted in fright, but Alice remained completely calm. As Dillon turned back, he took a step towards them but stopped, gesturing furiously with his hands. “You don’t want to see what it’s like when I’m not in control!”
Alice offered an icy glare, not flinching at his rage and speaking in a soft, venomous voice. “So all the times you hit me… All the times you insulted me to my face or didn’t stop when I wanted you to… That was control?”
“All the times I did that, you deserved it!” Dillon fumed. “You provoked me! You know what a shitty childhood I had. I completely opened up to you. I told you everything so you would understand! But instead you throw my life in my face and tell me what a piece of shit I am!”
Alice shook her head slowly. “We connected over our fucking terrible childhoods Dillon, and I saw something in you that I don’t know if you’ve ever let anyone else see. But that never gave either of us an excuse to keep on inflicting the pain we felt growing up on each other. I know I made mistakes too, I know how I can be when I’m coming down, and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for the part I played.”
This seemed to give Dillon pause, like he had been preparing to escalate the argument based on Alice’s response. Instead, he clenched both his fists together pleadingly in front of him and lowered his voice from furious to frustrated. “I’ve said I’m sorry too. All I’m asking is that we give it another go. That we get back to how things were when they were good. When things were good they were great, weren’t they?”
“They were,” Alice admitted. “I think it all started to go downhill when we stopped being fuck buddies and actually committed to each other for those few weeks we were official. It all went to shit from there, didn’t it?”
Tiffany marvelled at the information she was gleaning here. Although she watched anxiously from her kneeling position, tense and ready to spring into action if needed, she couldn’t help but be astonished at how much Alice had kept the true depth of her relationship with Dillon a secret. Tiffany, Josh, and Trev had all voiced their concerns when Alice had told them more than a year ago about getting involved with Dillon, but they had all believed that to be the start of their relationship. It was really just the tip of the iceberg, and though it had fallen apart weeks later, the roots ran deep.
“But we’re both different now.” Dillon replied insistently. “When you came to me a few days ago, did I do anything wrong then? Did I raise my voice or lose my temper even once?”
Alice scoffed gently. “Dillon, when I came over a few days ago, you were so amazed and unbelieving that you walked on eggshells around me. You gave me everything I asked for like there was no consequence, and you acted like a lost puppy. That wasn’t the you I knew from before, and had I stayed, we would have fallen back into our old patterns. And look at Tiff’s neck... Your anger is still there, as easy to provoke as ever, and it would just be a matter of time before it was pointed at me again.”
“For fuck sake, Alice!” Dillon’s temper flared again. “What do I have to do then? What do I have to do to prove I’m good enough for you?”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Alice replied, almost apologetic in tone now. “Dillon, sweetie, I didn’t invite you over here to rekindle our failed relationship. I wanted you to come to show you that I’m okay, so that you wouldn’t worry about me. I also wanted to offer you Tiff here as a peace offering. You can’t have me, but you can do anything you like to her.”
“What?” Dillon looked bewildered now, his frustration still bubbling. “Seriously, Alice, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Well it’s twofold, really.” Alice smiled grimly. “Part of my plans for breaking Tiff’s resolve, for making her understand in no uncertain terms just what she is to me now involved you fucking her, using her, being rough with her, whatever floated your boat really. It was also my way of giving you something, I guess showing you what I could offer you. I know we don’t work well together, but it doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. It doesn’t mean you can’t borrow what’s mine, providing you take care of it as well as I would…”
Tiffany could feel her pussy squirm and drip with excitement at the idea of being passed around like a possession. A good, obedient, horny slave should be treated like an object. She was an object. Mistress Alice owned her, and to be present as she was being bartered was a sensation beyond exhilarating.
Dillon exhaled a deep breath now, confusion overtaking the anger as he furrowed his brow in thought. “You’re saying you want to give me… Give me Tiff?” He glanced at Tiffany for the first time since he had risen from the bed. He looked at her like he didn’t give a fuck about her, and that just made her arousal burn even hotter.
Alice smirked now, triumph flashing in her gaze. “Not just Tiff. Erin, too. I know you have a score to settle there, though I would ask you don’t damage her too much. And there’s a cute little thing called Lucy you might enjoy as well. Plus, if you want Marion, you can have her. Any girl that likes you enough to follow you to Josh’s apartment, actually. We’ll get her to sit down and let the Algorithm do its thing. I know you want me, Dillon, but I can’t do it. I can’t be with you if I don’t feel safe, no matter how strong my feelings are for you. What I can do still is be a good friend to you, because I never truly wanted to stop seeing you, I just knew I had to at the time.”
Dillon’s face was void of expression now. His eyes darted from Alice to Tiffany and then all around the room, like he was running a calculation of many different parts in his mind. Tiffany couldn’t help but picture Erin and Lucy kneeling at either side of her, both programmed into perfect obedience, mere extensions of Alice’s will. They all would take turns sucking Dillon’s cock, seeing who between them could take him the deepest down their throat, all the while Alice watched in amusement, and Dillon remarked how nice it was to have a friend as good as Alice.
“No,” Dillon finally said in a firm tone. “I don’t want any of that, Alice. I just want you. You can throw all these other women at me if you want, but I don’t want them. They’re not you.”
Alice sighed wearily. “Honestly, you’re so stubborn. What kind of man says no to all the sex with all the women he could possibly imagine? What part of ‘We’re not going to happen’ do you not get?”
“Stop saying that!” Dillon snapped. “I’m not accepting it, Alice, I’m not! I didn’t come here for you to tell me that we can’t be together!” His fists were clenched again, and his cheeks were burning once more. Tiffany had been starting to relax, but now she tensed again, ready to move with a purpose if she needed to.
“Dillon, sweetie,” Alice said bluntly. “This is not happening. We tried it. You showed me that I could never be safe with you the way you are. I clearly gave you some false hope when I showed up a few days back, and I’m sorry for that. I needed something from you, and I exploited the feelings you had for me to get it. That wasn’t good of me, but it doesn’t allow you to dictate to me decisions that are mine.”
“No!” Dillon roared, taking a couple of steps towards her. “You need to see the truth! We are meant to be together, and you’re throwing it away because you think you know but you don’t! Stop being a stupid bitch! Stop being so fucking pathetic and making the wrong choice again!” His fists shook furiously at his side, and he seemed poised to spring forwards.
Alice looked him dead in the eye. “Or what?” She took a step closer. “You’ll hit me? You’ll smack me and tell me that you’re doing it for my own good, because you love me, because you care just so fucking much?!”
Dillon breathed furiously, his eyes dark pools of anger. He looked murderous, and Tiffany felt terror clench around her heart. She knew what she needed to do. She was ready to move. Ready to pounce. Ready to obey her commands.
“Come on, Dillon,” Alice goaded. “Hit me. See how it makes your life so much better. Clock me good, and see if it suddenly makes everything go your way. Give it your best shot, since you’re in so much control, after all.”
Tiffany watched in sheer fascination as Dillon’s rage imploded in itself. Tears started streaming out of his eyes and he burst into huge sobs. Suddenly Alice was taking him into her arms, guiding his head down to his shoulder, then they were sat on the bed as he cried away in her gentle embrace.
“I just miss you so- so- much!” Dillon wailed, his sobs and sniffs continuing without reprieve.
Alice stroked his hair and soothed him. “I know… I know… It’s okay… Shhhh, it’s okay.” She then turned to Tiffany and gave her a wink, a victorious smile appearing briefly on her face.
Tiffany felt herself relax, and she put the instructions she feared to follow out of her mind. Alice had crafted plans upon plans for so many different scenarios, including the very worst ones, but Tiffany was reassured that the plan Alice wanted to succeed was well on its way to doing so.
Mistress Alice was in control, and Tiffany was ready to serve.