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From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} John Carter I 16-19 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi)
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I will post the last three chapters of Part I
tomorrow. I hope you enjoy this story.

Lazlo Zalezac



__________________________________
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<1st attachment, "JC16-19.txt" begin>

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If you are offended by 
sexually explicit material or are under the age of 18, stop reading 
now. This material cannot be reproduced for commercial purposes 
without the consent of the author.

John Carter
By
Lazlo Zalezac 
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezak, 2003


Part 1: Shield, Staff, and Compass
Chapter 16

John watched the sunset while sipping a cup of Greek coffee. He 
was reflecting upon his current situation. For the most part, he was 
satisfied with how his life was working out. He really appreciated 
the break from the constant heroism that he had experienced in 
Austin. He had gained some of his weight back. His skin tone was 
much better. He was still a scarred mess and would be for life, but 
he hadn't gotten any new scars.

He was standing on the back porch of the house he had rented for 
three months. The house had been rented unfurnished and, for the 
most part, remained that way. He had picked up a desk with a chair 
and that was in the living room. On the desk were his laptop and a 
printer. Around the desk were stacks of papers. He slept on the 
floor in his sleeping bag and used his camping cook set for 
preparing meals. He lived like a monk, but enjoyed every minute 
of it.

The house was located in a very small town in Arizona where the 
crime rate was low. The worst that happened in town was the 
occasional bar brawl. While a brawl might result in black eyes or 
broken bones, they did not result in deaths. Otherwise, the location 
was peaceful. Most surprising was that no one had even come by 
to interrupt him. He had expected the normal nosiness of a small 
town. Of course, for all he knew they knew everything about him 
already.

A high point of his stay was a nice conversation with Betsy who 
appreciated the fact that he was living in a much quieter area. She 
was still upset, but now was cooling off to where they could 
discuss things. She had stated that she was going overseas as part 
of a volunteer program that would operate in a refugee camp. It 
was something that she did every other year and found 
considerable satisfaction in it. He worried about her traveling to 
such a dangerous location, but accepted it as something that she 
needed to do for herself. 

His dissertation was now half written and would be finished in 
another month or so. He figured that he would write a first draft 
and then not read it for a week. Then he would revise it for a 
second draft.  Depending on the quality, he would go through third 
and fourth drafts before sending it to his professor for review. 

He had only been here two weeks, but he had worked the entire 
time without break. He hadn't even taken the time to get to know 
the neighbors. His only interaction with people had been at the real 
estate office when he signed the lease and the grocery store when 
he had stocked up on food sufficient for one month. Tonight he 
was going to walk into town and meet some of the locals. 

The sun finally set and he finished the coffee. Returning into the 
house, he rinsed the cup and set it aside to dry. He grabbed his 
walking stick and headed out of the house. At the end of the 
walkway, he heard the distinctive sound of a rattlesnake. He 
located it under a small bush next to the walkway. With a deft 
swipe of his walking stick, he lifted the snake and threw it into the 
street. It slithered away into the darkness. He gave it no further 
thought.

He examined the houses around his place as he slowly strolled 
towards the center of town. The majority of houses had curtains 
illuminated by lights from inside. A few were dark. None of the 
houses had grass lawns. The majority had sand yards that were 
plain with the exception of a cactus or two. Some yards had 
religious statues arranged in little shrine-like areas; statues of the 
Virgin Mary and Jesus were common. Houses were either painted 
white or beige. It was a mixed neighborhood of Hispanics and 
Whites. 

He entered the town square that represented the town center. On 
one side of the square was a squat building the served as the local 
police station and town hall. Two police cars were parked in front 
of it. The rest of the square was filled with small stores such as the 
hardware store, a feed store, a shoe store, two clothing stores, and a 
bank. There was also a restaurant with a handmade sign 
advertising homemade pies. A couple of stores down the street was 
a bar. Not feeling particularly hungry, he decided to try out the bar 
to get a coke.

The inside of the bar lived up to his expectations of a country bar. 
There was a juke box playing country and western music. In the 
back was a coin operated pool table. Around the pool table, a 
couple of men were gathered. One was drinking a beer and twirling 
a pool cue. Another was walking about the table looking at the 
placement of the balls. He carried the pool cue with practiced 
casualness. Another was sitting on a stool smoking a cigarette and 
drinking a beer. All were wearing blue jeans, boots, and western 
style shirts. Large belt buckles were the rule rather than the 
exception. A woman wearing the tightest pair of jeans that John 
had ever seen sauntered up to the pool table and started a 
conversation with the men gathered there.

Along the side was the bar with tables set in a casual manner in 
front of it. About a third of the tables were taken. No one was 
sitting at the bar. Behind the bar, a rather bored looking woman 
was washing some beer mugs. John decided that he stood a better 
chance of getting a little conversation if he sat at the bar.

Just after seating himself, a strong callused hand came down on his 
shoulder. John turned and looked at the individual standing next to 
him. He was a rather large man in his late twenties or early thirties. 
His skin was tanned dark from many hours of working in the sun. 
He wore the blue jeans, boots, work shirt, and huge belt buckle that 
were the norm in this area of the country. The man spoke, "Howdy 
neighbor!"

John replied, "Hello."

"You moved in across the street from my place."

"Oh. Let me introduce myself. I'm John Carter." John extended his 
hand.

The big man grabbed the hand and replied, "I'm Ed Biggers."

"Nice to meet you Ed."

"Nice to finally meet you. Let me buy you a drink." The big man 
offered the drink in a fashion that seemed to be more of a 
challenge than a friendly gesture.

"That would be very nice of you. I'll have a coke."

"Coke? What are you? Are you some kind of wimp?"

"No. I just don't drink alcohol," replied John in a stern manner. He 
wondered if things were going to get out of hand. Normally he 
stopped crises, not created them. 

Ed Biggers had a tendency to be a bully. Actually, it wasn't a 
tendency; he was a bully and had been his entire life. He felt a rush 
as he realized that he had a new victim in town to mock and make 
life miserable. He shouted out to the bar, "Hey, folks. We got us a 
wimp. He doesn't drink like a real man. He doesn't even drink a 
woman's drink. He actually wants a coke without the rum!"

The majority of people in the bar burst out laughing at the 
announcement. A few of the older folks looked away in disgust. It 
wasn't clear if they disapproved of Ed Biggers or John. John just 
watched Ed with dispassionate interest. Ed turned to the woman 
behind the bar, "Hey Shirley, set us up with a couple of whiskeys 
with beer chasers."

John interjected, "Don't forget my coke. Plain with no rum."

Shirley looked at both men with a bad feeling in her stomach. She 
had a very good idea what was going to happen next. She knew she 
wouldn't be able to stop it, but felt she had to try. She set a whiskey 
with a beer in front of Ed and a plain coke in front of John. Ed 
looked at Shirley and stated, "I said a couple. I'm buying the wimp 
here a man's drink."

Shirley shot back, "Ed, don't do this."

Ed repeated himself, "I said a couple. Now hop to it little lady 
before I loose my temper."

She relented and set the drinks in front of John. John picked up the 
shot glass with the whiskey in it. He sniffed it, nodded, and then 
set it down. He knew there was no way out of this situation except 
violence. John calmly stated, "I heard that some men drink in the 
hope that it will make their pecker bigger. I don't know if that's 
your reason for drinking. Since I'm already hung like a horse, I 
don't drink in the hope that it will shrink down to the size a woman 
can handle."

John noticed a number of people edging out of the bar. The few 
that remained were laughing. Shirley edged over to the telephone 
to call the police. Ed was turning purple. John picked up his coke 
and took a sip. He decided that if he was going to get in a fight, he 
might as well satisfy his thirst first. 

Ed was getting angrier by the moment. Finally, he pulled his right 
fist back to throw a punch. John beat Ed to the draw by grabbing 
his balls and squeezing with all of his strength. Ed doubled over in 
pain while John set his glass of coke down. He calmly asked, 
"Shirley, how much is the drink?"

She looked in delighted glee at the situation in which Ed found 
himself. Too many nice guys had suffered at the hands of Ed 
Biggers. She laughed, "It's on the house."

"Thanks," replied John as he winked at her. He added, "Have a 
nice evening."

Shirley smiled at him, "I'm having the best evening in a long time 
already. You take care of yourself."

John let go of Ed's balls and picked up his walking stick. Ed 
remained bent over and breathing hard. John walked to the door 
and turned back, "Have a nice night, everyone. Even you Ed."

John returned home and went to bed. He was disappointed that his 
first night in town had probably created an enemy. He had no 
doubts that Ed would try to get even at some point. He decided that 
he would just be careful and worry about that when the occasion 
arose. Tomorrow he would return to work on his dissertation.  

The next morning he was taking a shower when he heard terrified 
screams coming from outside. Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it 
around himself as he raced out of the house. In the front yard of the 
house next door, a kid was screaming in sheer terror. John raced 
around to the yard and stopped when he saw the problem. Others 
came running up and stopped when they saw the problem. The boy 
was surrounded by rattlesnakes. There were more rattlesnakes 
gathered in the yard than anyone could ever recollect seeing in one 
place. How he had walked into the patch of snakes sunning 
themselves without being bitten was a mystery. Luckily, he was 
standing still now. Unfortunately, the snakes had become riled.

No one moved. Cursing the fact that he had forgotten his walking 
stick, John took a deep breath and walked into the midst of the 
snakes. As he walked, an occasional snake would strike. He 
continued to walk without hesitation to the little boy. When the 
snake nearest the little boy struck John, he used that moment to 
pick up the little boy. Once the boy was clear of the snakes, he put 
him on his shoulders. Calmly, he walked out of the area suffering 
only a couple of more snake strikes. He hadn't noticed the shots, 
but six of the snakes along the path were dead.  He set the boy 
down next to a woman who appeared to be his mother.

The crowd of people was staring at John. It wasn't clear if they 
were staring at him for what he had just done or because of all the 
scars. The towel did little to cover his scars. One man finally broke 
the silence, "He just walked into there, picked the kid up, and 
walked back out like it was nothing. Damn."

A woman stated, "He must have been bit two dozen times."

John turned to the Hispanic woman, "Could you please call the 
hospital and ask them to have some anti-venom available for me. 
Gracias."

John turned to the crowd and spotted Ed Biggers. He decided that 
it was time for him and Ed to either become friends or settle it once 
and for all. He turned to Ed, "Ed, would you please drive me to the 
hospital?"

Ed was stunned. He had never seen anything that brave in his 
entire life. He had been a ground pounder in the army and had 
never seen anyone with the array of scars this guy sported. He was 
shocked that the guy he had tried to fight the night before was 
putting his life in his hands. He replied, "Sure, I'll get my truck."

Ed raced off to get his truck. John spoke to the crowd, "Could 
someone get me a six foot piece of rope and a very sharp knife?"

Once John started making requests that people could easily 
perform, it was as if the mass paralysis was broken. A couple of 
people raced away and returned in minutes with the requested 
items. John used two pieces of rope to create a tourniquet for both 
legs. He selected the sharpest knife that had been brought, 
promising to return it later that day.  He proceeded to make cuts 
into the bites. The cuts were single cuts in the direction of the 
curve of the snake fang. He was quick and efficient about it. He 
ignored the pain as he worked.

A number of other people had raced off to get guns. When a 
significant number had returned, they lined up in front of the 
snakes. For the next few minutes, it sounded like a war zone as 
men shot at snakes. Most of the men had pistols loaded with snake 
shot. A few had .22 caliber rifles. 

When Ed pulled up in his truck, John hobbled over to it and got in 
the passenger's side. Once seated, Ed drove off towards the 
hospital. John continued his treatment. Some spots were tough to 
reach, but he did his best. He searched his legs looking for any 
bites that he might have missed. Satisfied that he had gotten all of 
the bites; he took a deep breath. Then he went on to the next stage 
of treatment. He tied the loose end of the rope below the bite that 
was furthest away from the tourniquet. He started wrapping the 
loop of rope hanging between the two ends around the leg, slowly 
increasing the pressure inside the region of cuts. The cuts began to 
seep blood mixed with a pale yellow liquid. Some cuts had more of 
the yellow liquid than others. He repeated the process on the other 
leg. The amount of liquid expelled from the cuts was amazing.  He 
unwrapped the ropes and proceeded to wrap the rope between the 
ends again. More blood and pale yellow liquid seeped out. He 
repeated the process on both legs until no more yellow liquid 
seeped out and the blood ran clean.

Ed watched John work on his legs even as he drove at eighty miles 
per hour. He couldn't believe how calm the guy was about his 
injuries. He tried to imagine how hard it would be to cut himself 
the number of times that John had. Finally, when John appeared to 
be finished Ed spoke, "You're the bravest man I've ever seen. I 
know, I've seen quite few when I was in the army."

"That's nice of you to say. I feel more stupid than brave. I could 
have done this without a single bite, but I left my walking stick in 
the house."

Ed continued to watch as John worked on the bites. He was 
amazed by the technique that John was using. He'd never be able to 
laugh at the joke about the lone ranger being bit in the ass by a 
snake again. He now knew how to extract the venom without 
having to suck it out. Ed drove silently for a minute and then 
stated, "I'm sorry about last night."

"Same here. I hope that we can become good friends." John was 
silent for a minute. He finally asked, "Can I ask you to do a favor?"

"Sure."

"Don't tell anyone what you see or hear in the hospital."

"Is that it? No problem, I won't say a word about it. Let's just hope 
the hospital is just as quiet about it."

John laughed, "I've dealt with hospitals before. They are usually 
pretty good when they know that you desire a little privacy about 
such things."

Ed shook his head. He wondered what experience this guy had 
with small town hospitals. Even bee stings made it into the local 
newspaper. He didn't get a chance to answer as they reached the 
hospital. He slowed from eighty miles an hour down to a more 
appropriate speed as he directed the truck into the emergency 
drive.

As soon as the truck was parked, John opened the door and stepped 
out. The nurse on duty looked at the bloody mess around his ankles 
and called for a gurney. In seconds, a crew with a gurney arrived. 
The nurse kept calm and asked, "Your name?"

"John Carter."

"Have you ever been a patient here?"

"No, but I had my medical records forwarded here three weeks 
ago. All the information you'll need is in them, except for one 
gunshot wound that I received after I sent it."

"What are those cuts?"

"First aid for snake bites."

"All those cuts for a snake bite?"

"All those cuts are for about twenty snake bites."

"Okay, what method of first aid did you use?"

"Chinese rope."

"Never heard of it."

"Very effective. Chinese snake handlers use it when dealing with 
very poisonous snakes. They usually do not take anti-venom. I 
learned it because when you are hiking it is not always possible to 
make it to a hospital in a timely fashion."

"Okay, I'll get your medical history." The nurse walked off in a 
business-like manner to locate his medical history. She returned 
walking much faster and excitedly. "John Carter? The John 
Carter?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Wow, I didn't realize who you were. Just about everyone has 
looked at your chart. Doctor Hayes is coming."

A woman walked brusquely down the hall, her heels made a 
clicking noise with each step. She was tall, almost six feet. Her 
hair was blond and tied back. Her features were Nordic. Even the 
least observant person could see that she was the doctor on duty. 
Only a blind person could miss the authority with which she 
carried herself. Entering the examination area, she closed the 
curtain leaving John, Ed, herself, and the nurse crowded together 
in close quarters. She bent over the gurney and examined the cuts 
on his legs. She smiled and nodded, "Good job. It looks like you 
cut in the direction of the fangs and deep enough to get to where 
the toxin was deposited. Single cuts rather than X cuts. You did a 
very good job. Of course, I expected that of you after reading your 
record."

"Thanks."

She examined the tourniquet for a moment. She looked up 
surprised, "Chinese rope?"

"Yes."

"I doubt you really need the anti-toxin, but with that number of 
bites it's better to be safe than sorry."

She reached behind her and removed a syringe from a tray carried 
by the nurse in the examination area. She injected John without 
major comment or warning. John asked, "Aren't you supposed to 
warn me that this is going to sting a little?"

"You've had more than enough of these to know what is going on!"

"True. I was just wondering if you had failed bedside manner in 
medical school."

His comment was greeted by general laughter. Nonplussed, the 
doctor stood there for a moment and consulted the folder 
containing his medical records. She asked, "Would you mind 
standing up for a minute and allowing me to examine you?"

"No problem.

"Could you please drop your towel so I can see all of you."

"No problem."  John dropped the towel. He stood there completely 
naked. The only thing left was the medallion hanging around his 
neck. After so many trips to the hospital and being examined by so 
many people, John had dropped all modesty about his body. Ed, 
sitting slightly off to the side, realized that there were still more 
scars. He felt a little embarrassed at examining another man's 
body.

The doctor shook her head in amazement. She proceeded to point 
out scars and recite the situations in which they were created. As 
she recited each situation, she paused for an acknowledging nod 
from John. Ed stared wide-eyed as he heard the causes of each 
scar. When the doctor had completed her examination, she stated, 
"When I got your medical report, I assumed that some sort of joke 
was being played on me. I called the Austin Hospital and still 
couldn't believe it. I have never heard a hospital staff member rave 
so much about a single individual in my life."

"They are rather exuberant in their attitude towards me. I guess it is 
the fact that I heal rather quickly."

"Quickly? I understand that you were dead for three minutes after 
the shot in the shoulder and that you walked out of the hospital two 
days later."

"It was four minutes." John thought back to that occasion and 
smiled as he recalled the farewell line-up that sent him off. He 
chuckled to himself. "Nice hospital, very friendly."

The doctor noticed his reaction. She added, "Yes, I talked to them 
too. I heard that you taught some doctors new lessons in bedside 
manners. The doctor there told me I was to send you to a vet. I also 
heard about the little goodbye treat you received. I hope you aren't 
expecting all of our female staff to dress up in sexy nurse outfits."

"Darn, I was hoping for that. The least you could do for me is dress 
up in a sexy doctor outfit."

The nurse started laughing so hard that tears were coming from her 
eyes.  The doctor shot her a dirty look; it didn't stop the laughter. 
When she looked back at John, she observed that he had noticed 
the look. She explained, "Some people here think I'm an ice bitch."

John looked at her very seriously and shook his head, "No, I don't 
think so. You aren't an ice bitch. You are a consummate 
professional at work. At home, I bet you are a very focused and 
considerate lover. I would bet that you are a natural submissive."

The doctor's blush seemed to spread from her neck up until it was 
covered by makeup. The blush was definitely noticed by the 
people gathered there and surprised almost everyone. Ed looked at 
her speculatively for a moment and then discounted the possibility 
that a doctor would be interested in an old cowboy like himself. 
The doctor found she was looking at John's cock and then broke 
out of her thoughts. She snapped, "Enough of that topic. I'm going 
to ask that you stay here today and tonight, just in case."

John asked, "Will I be confined to bed?"

"Only if you start to feel sick. Why?"

"Well, I was wondering if there were any kids in here that might 
appreciate having a story read to them."

The nurse and Ed started at that. This guy was hurt, yet he was still 
thinking of others. The doctor nodded, "I heard about you doing 
that at the burn center. I don't think there will be a problem with 
you doing that. I believe there may be a copy of Tom Sawyer 
around here somewhere."

"Great. I'll need a hospital gown and robe. I would hate to have to 
walk around like this or in my towel." John laughed as he imagined 
the impact his current appearance would have on everyone. The 
doctor glanced back down to his cock thinking she wouldn't be 
able to get any work out of the women in the hospital if they saw 
him naked.

The nurse reached around and handed him the requested items. As 
John put them on, the doctor asked, "So how did you get so many 
bites?"

"A child found himself in a little difficulty. I did what little I 
could."

Ed Biggers spoke for the first time, "Bullshit. This kid had walked 
into an area of rattlesnakes sunning themselves. There must have 
been a hundred of them. He was terrified and screaming. John 
came running out the house just dressed in that towel. Then he just 
walked in as calmly as can be, picked the kid up, and walked back 
out. You'd have thought he was just taking a stroll through a park. 
Bravest damn thing I've ever seen. Everyone else, myself included, 
was just standing there too afraid to move."

The doctor wrote that down into the medical record. She nodded, 
"Sounds like John according to what I've read in here about him."

Ed turned to John, "I have to apologize for last night. I hope you 
can forgive me. I'll buy you a coke anytime you want."

This was the second time that Ed had apologized to him. John 
smiled and extended his hand, "I'll be proud to call you a friend."

The doctor looked up at Ed. She asked, "what was that about?"

Ed looked up at the ceiling for a minute and then replied, "I met 
him the first time last night and offered to buy him a drink. When 
he requested a coke, I'm afraid that I didn't react very nicely. I 
called him a wimp. When he made a smart-ass comment, I lost my 
temper and went to hit him. Let's just say, he won quite handily. I'll 
admit I was trying to think of some way of getting back at him, but 
damn he's no wimp. He's a better man than I am.  I was a real jerk 
last night and I'm man enough to admit it."

The nurse looked at Ed with more than a little interest. She had 
never heard a man give such an honest appraisal about himself in 
public like this. It turned her on. She moved a little closer to Ed. 
Ed looked around rather uncomfortably and then stated, "Look, 
you're gonna be in here until tomorrow morning. I'll head out now 
and be back to pick you up in the morning. If you don't mind, I'll 
pick up some clothes for you to wear home."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that. My clothes are in the backpack. You 
can't miss it."

The nurse led Ed out of the examination area. There was a long 
whispered discussion between the two of them. It looked like the 
nurse had made a new conquest. Their mutual interest was clear to 
anyone that saw them.

The doctor was left alone with John. She looked John directly in 
the eye, "A natural submissive?"

John smiled. He took her hands and crossed them behind her back. 
With one hand, he held them together. His grasp on her wrists was 
almost non-existent, but she did not attempt to break his hold. He 
moved close to her and whispered in her ear, "Yes."

She didn't fight him. Her arms remained crossed behind her back. 
In a breathy voice, she stated, "I'll have to think about that."

John ran a hand across her chest just below her breasts. She gasped 
at the shock that raced through her body. Her entire body reacted 
to the touch; nipples stiffened, juices flowed, knees weakened, and 
breathing became irregular. He answered, "There's no thinking 
about it. You feel it."

She shivered. John caught the scent of her arousal. He released her 
wrists and stepped back. She automatically followed him. He 
changed the subject, "I have to wait here for the nurse to return and 
show me to my room. I guess you have rounds to finish?"

Her knees felt weak and her face was flushed. It took her a 
moment, but the doctor finally regained control of herself. She 
nodded, "Yes, of course. I'll order the nurse to wrap some 
bandages around the cuts. She'll take you to the room."

"Okay."

The doctor raced out of the examination area. John was left to 
himself.  He lay back down on the bed and wondered if he had 
turned off the shower before racing out of the house. He decided 
that Ed would notice if it was on and would turn it off for him. He 
almost laughed aloud as he considered what Ed's reaction would be 
to his living conditions. 

The nurse returned looking excited. She had that glow suggestive 
of a woman that found a new lover. John glanced at her and teased, 
"You like that cowboy, don't you?"

She attempted to frown and failed. She shrugged her shoulders, 
"What can I say? He's man enough to admit when he's been a 
jerk."

John laughed, "You're right. That's a rare man indeed."

The nurse cocked her head and studied John. She smiled, "We 
seem to have a run on rare men today."

She went over to the cabinet and removed two rolls of bandages, 
scissors, and tape. She cut several lengths of tape and hooked them 
on the edge of the table. She quickly moved down to his feet and 
started unrolling the bandage. She looked up as she worked, "Did 
you make these cuts yourself?"

"Yes."

"Must have been very hard to cut yourself that many times and so 
deep."

"It had to be done, so I did it."

The nurse shook her head and muttered, "Amazing. Simply 
amazing."


Part 1: Shield, Staff, and Compass
Chapter 17

Shirley wiped the counter in front of John. She looked like she 
wanted to ask something, but was too nervous to come out and ask. 
John sipped his coke and ate some popcorn. The room was cool 
and he enjoyed the quiet of the early afternoon hours in the bar. 
When business picked up later, he would return home and prepare 
dinner.

Shirley finally asked, "What did you do to Ed?"

"Pardon?"

"What did you do to Ed?"

"Nothing. Why?"

Shirley dropped the rag she was using and leaned against the bar. 
Her crossed arms forced her breasts up and together. She stated, 
"I've known Ed my whole life. He's a bully. He always has been. 
Until the day after you and he had your little altercation in here, I 
would have said that he always would be a bully."

"I don't get your point."

"He's not acting like Ed any more. You know that night after you 
helped Jose with the snakes, Ed came in here. He actually ordered 
a coke and sat at that corner table over there." She pointed to one 
of the tables. She shook her head, "Now there are a couple of 
things weird about that. First, he has never ordered a coke. He 
drinks beer for breakfast. Second, Ed never sits still for more than 
a few minutes. He's always moving and looking for trouble. Third, 
Ed sat there alone. He didn't say anything the whole evening. Now 
Ed has never been quiet, not even when he was in school."

John shrugged, "Maybe he was just feeling a little off that night."

Shirley laughed aloud. "You don't really know Ed like we do. He's 
never felt just a little off. Hell, he was sick with pneumonia and got 
in a bar fight."

"So did you ask him about it?"

"Well, not that night. But about the fourth time in a row that he did 
that, I asked him what was wrong."

"So what did he say?" John was getting curious about Ed. He 
hadn't seen Ed except for once or twice since that time. Each time, 
Ed had been very friendly.

"He said that he had seen something that he didn't believe existed. 
He stated that he needed to rethink his life as a result." Shirley 
stood up and threw her hands up. "I know he didn't discover God. 
So what did you do?"

John nodded as he listened to Shirley. He honestly answered, "I 
didn't do anything. I think you'll have to take him at his word. He 
saw something that he didn't believe existed and it changed him."

"Jorge Mendosa said that Ed helped him change his tire the other 
night. That's a first. Ed has never helped anyone before."

"I don't know what to say."

"Well, the whole town is talking about Ed. The one thing that 
everyone agrees on is that he changed after taking you to the 
hospital."

John laughed, "I know he met a nice woman there."

"Kelly?" 

"I believe that is her name."

Shirley shrugged and stated, "All I know is that he's been seen with 
Kelly. She's a nice enough girl. I don't know what she sees in him. 
However, I really don't think a woman is enough to change Ed."

John finished his coke. He stood up and grabbed his walking stick. 
He left the money for the coke on the bar. It included a nice tip. As 
he was leaving, Shirley spoke up, "You know. It's nice to have a 
customer that doesn't leave here drunk. Come back more often, 
ok?"

"Sure."

John walked back to his house. As he walked, neighbors came out 
and greeted him. He stopped and chatted with each one. Kids came 
up and asked to see his scars. Apparently, his nearly naked 
appearance had fostered many discussions about how he had been 
injured. The explanations for his injuries included a past as a 
special services soldier, undercover cop whose cover was blown, 
and gangster that was on the run. He laughed them all off and 
explained that he was a simple college student.

It was nearly dark by the time he arrived in front of his house. Ed 
Biggers strolled over and greeted him, "Howdy neighbor."

"Hi, Ed. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine."

"That's good to hear."

Ed looked around and then asked, "You got a minute to talk?"

"Sure, I've got all week. I just finished the second draft and I'll wait 
a week before reading it over."

Ed laughed, "Well, I promise it won't take a whole week."

John gestured, "Why don't we go out in my backyard and chat 
there? I have two lawn chairs, some iced tea, and a nice patio with 
a good view."

Ed looked uncomfortable for a minute. He nodded, "Sure, that 
would be good."

They went into the house. John took the pitcher of iced tea from 
the refrigerator and filled two glasses with ice. He handed one of 
the glasses to Ed and kept the other. Motioning with his head, he 
went out to the patio. Ed followed him outdoors. 

After seating themselves in the chairs, John poured the iced tea. He 
set the pitcher on a cinder block situated between the chairs. 
Taking a sip of the tea, he sighed, "Oh, boy! That tastes real good 
on a hot day like today."

Ed laughed, "You know something. I didn't know that until a 
couple of weeks ago. I've quit drinking."

"Was it tough?"

Ed was quiet for a moment as he thought about it. He nodded 
slightly, "It was a little tougher than I thought it would be. It wasn't 
that I was an alcoholic. I guess drinking was more of a habit."

John nodded, "I understand. I had the same problem when I quit 
drinking."

Ed looked very surprised, "You used to drink?"

"Oh yes. I quit drinking the night my brother wrapped his car 
around a telephone pole."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"No problem," replied John. "It took me a long time to come to 
grips with it. I guess the day I died was the major turning point 
with respect to my feelings about death and the death of my 
brother."

"I guess it would tend to change your perspective. Of course, I 
wouldn't know about that."

John was quiet for a while as he thought about his past. He sighed, 
"I guess I'm not so afraid of dying now. I don't know if that makes 
it easier for me to do the things that I've done. I really don't think 
about any of that. I just act."

Ed thought about what John had said. Neither man spoke for a long 
time. Finally, Ed stated, "You acted in exactly the same manner 
before you died as you do now. That's how you got killed."

"I guess that's true."

They sat there for a while watching the stars come out. The dark 
Arizona sky made star gazing a wonderful pastime. Finally John 
asked, "So how do you feel now that you aren't drinking?"

Ed laughed, "Pretty good. I've found that I have a lot more time 
than I ever had before."

"So what are you going to do to fill up that time? Visit that nurse 
from the hospital?"

Ed laughed, "Yeah, I've been doing a lot of that. Kelly's very nice. 
She makes me think about things."

"Like what, if I may ask?"

"Well, we've been talking about my future. It hasn't looked very 
good for a long time." There was a significant pause, "I've decided 
to go to school."

John had just finished putting down his iced tea glass, which was 
fortunate because if he had been holding it he would have dropped 
it. He had never heard anything so surprising in his life.  He took a 
moment to compose himself, "That's great. What are you planning 
on studying?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

John was taken by surprise again. He asked, "So what are you 
thinking?"

"I don't really know what there is out there. Many things, well, 
they just seem out of my reach. I couldn't be a lawyer or doctor, for 
example. I'm a little old to start down those paths."

John was quiet for a while. Ed got a more nervous the longer John 
was quiet. John finally broke his silence, "Ed, let me ask you one 
question."

"Go ahead."

"What do you like to do more than anything?"

"The only thing I've ever done is work cattle."

John shook his head, "No, I don't mean work you like. I mean, 
what do you really like to do?"

Ed's face wrinkled in confusion, "When?"

"Imagine that tomorrow you get to do anything you want. You can 
take the whole day off with no worries. What would you do?"

"I don't know. What would you be doing?"

"I'd be out hiking. I hike almost four months of the year."

"I didn't think about stuff like that. What has it to do with deciding 
what you are going to study?"

John smiled, "I wanted to understand rainbows, sunrises, and 
sunsets."

"So you studied physics. Yeah, it makes sense."

"What would you be doing?"

"I guess I would be riding around on my horse."

John was silent for a minute or two. This line of questioning wasn't 
going as well as he thought it should. It wasn't natural for an adult 
man not to have some kind of interest in something. A sudden 
inspiration hit him, "What are you doing while riding your horse?"

Ed looked around a little embarrassed, "Promise you won't laugh?"

John made a boy scouts honor gesture, "I promise."

Ed made a sucking sound between his teeth. Finally, he said, "I'm 
looking at rocks."

"Rocks?" asked John. 

"Yes."

"Any special kind of rocks?"

Ed answered, "All kinds. There are examples of sedimentary, 
metamorphic, and igneous in the area."

"Are you more interested in the geology of the area or the 
mineralogy?"

"Actually, I like the mineralogy. You know, I look at things like 
the shape, composition, and color.  The geology just helps me 
locate them. You don't think that's weird?"

John laughed, "God no. That's wonderful!"

Ed looked shocked, "You don't think it's childish?"

"Oh, Ed. You and I are going to have to go to Arizona State 
University. There's something there that you really need to see."

"What's there?"

"Only one of the finest mineralogy departments in the country. It is 
going to blow your mind with the kinds of things they're doing 
there."

Ed sat up straighter and asked, "Really? What kinds of things?"

John smiled, "You'll just have to see for yourself."

"You know, I never thought of actually studying rocks formally."

John answered, "Let me tell you something that I really believe. If 
you are passionate about a subject, someone will pay you to work 
in it. It doesn't matter what subject. I know of a guy who likes to 
review bad movies. He has a nationally syndicated column where 
he gets to review bad movies. Like I said, it doesn't matter what 
subject you are passionate about, someone will pay you for what 
you know."

"You're serious aren't you?"

"You bet," replied John. He looked up at the sky for a minute and 
then stated, "I'll tell you what, let me make a call or two tomorrow 
and arrange a visit there. I'm not sure when the visit will be, but 
we'll drive up there together. If you want to take Kelly with you, 
that'll be alright too."

"John, You are an amazing person. I'm really glad I talked to you."

John shook his head, "I'm glad I was able to help. It's not going to 
be easy. You'll have to take a bunch of stuff that has nothing to do 
with mineralogy."

"No problem."

John refilled the iced tea glasses. He took a sip of his and voiced 
his satisfaction with a sigh. The two men sat there watching the 
stars in the sky and listening to the sounds of the desert just beyond 
the yard. John thought back to his conversation earlier in the day 
and started to laugh.

Ed asked, "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking back to a conversation that I had with Shirley 
this afternoon. It seems that you and I have become major topics of 
conversation. Everyone seems to be wondering what happened to 
you. They all say you've changed. They also wonder if I was the 
one who did it. Everyone is also curious about my scars."

Ed laughed, "Small town. There's nothing better to do than gossip. 
If you don't answer the questions to their satisfaction, they'll talk 
about you for years."

"Well, after I'm gone you can decide if you'll tell them anything. 
Until then, I'd rather not have to talk about some things, if you 
understand what I mean."

"I understand. Besides, it'll do them good to wonder about it for a 
long time."

They sat there for a while longer drinking their iced teas. Finally, 
Ed stood up and announced, "It's getting late and I've got an early 
day tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing. Have a nice night."

"You too."

The next morning, John made several calls. It didn't take him long 
to get a good contact within the university who would be glad to 
show them around. He used the excuse that he would like to serve 
as a visiting lecturer there for a semester with full funding 
provided by an external source.  He had learned from his 
professors the power that a visitor with money could expect to 
wield. He scheduled the visit for two days from then.

He had just hung up the telephone after the last of the calls when it 
rang. He picked it up expecting to get a sales pitch. Instead, it was 
Betsy. She called to let him know she was going to be there that 
evening for a two-day visit before heading off to the middle east. 
He accepted her statement that she wanted to drive herself so that 
she could leave on her timeline rather than his. He was ecstatic that 
she was visiting until he realized that he didn't have a bed. He 
spent the next few hours getting a bed and the appropriate 
coverings for it.  

He was left with two hours before she would arrive. He spent half 
of that time trying to decide what to cook for her and finally 
decided that he would take her to the Mexican restaurant in town. 
He also thought he might take her into the bar to meet Shirley. For 
some reason, he thought the two women would get along very 
well. Although he had spent most of the day locating a bed, he 
didn't want to just drag her into bed as if she was a just a sex 
object. He wanted to spend time with her and recover some of the 
intimacy that had been lost over the past two months.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. He went to the door 
and opened it hoping to see Betsy; instead, it was Ed. He didn't do 
a very good job of hiding his disappointment. Ed was rather taken 
aback by the less than friendly reaction. John noticed the change in 
Ed's demeanor. He apologized, "Oh, Ed. I'm sorry. I'm expecting 
my girlfriend to drop in anytime now. I had thought you were her 
for a moment there."

Ed knew about the big blowup between the two. It was a good sign 
that she was coming out here. Ed laughed, "Hell, I'd be 
disappointed if a man was at the door when I was expecting a 
woman."

John smiled, "Well, I'm sorry anyway. I set up a visit to the 
university for the day after tomorrow. If Kelly comes, that will 
make four."

Ed grinned and nodded excitedly, "Okay, I'll talk to her tonight. 
We'll both take the day off."

"Great. I'm looking forward to it."

"So what are your plans for your girl?"

"Oh, I was going to Maria's for Dinner and then over to the bar to 
meet Shirley."

Ed looked around and then stated, "I'm going to head across the 
street. Don't want to interfere with the grand reunion."

"You don't have to run off."

"Now you're just being polite," laughed Ed as he turned and 
walked away. He shouted out, "Good night John. Have a nice 
evening."

"Thanks. Have a good night!"

John watched Ed walk across the street. He shook his head 
remembering the first night they had meet. It was hard to believe 
that they had become friends after that rough beginning. He was 
sure that was half of the town's gossip. Shirley had hinted at one 
point in time that Ed had not had a real friend for as long as she 
had known him. Most people just tolerated him.

He went back into the house to wait for Betsy. He walked around 
the house looking it over. Not finding anything wrong, he did it 
again. He checked his watch and found he still had a little while to 
wait. He went to the front door and looked out to see if she was 
early. She wasn't. He went back in and checked the house again. 
He opened the refrigerator to verify that there was a full pitcher of 
iced tea. He opened the freezer and checked to make sure he had 
ice. There was ice. He checked his watch again and found that only 
four minutes had passed. 

He opened the door and looked out again. Ed was across the street 
grinning and shaking his head. John waved and went back in the 
house. Thinking back to the incident with the snakes, he decided 
he should check the yard and make sure that there weren't any 
surprises waiting. He went out and checked around the few prickly 
branches that passed for bushes in the area. Everything was clear. 
He looked down the street and saw Ed walking away towards 
town. He shrugged and checked his watch. 

An eternity passed before Betsy's rental car cruised down the 
street. John ran down to the street to greet her. He didn't notice all 
of the faces looking out the window at him and the car. Betsy 
finally parked the car in front of the house and got out. John raced 
up to her and picked her up in a big hug. He swung her around in a 
circle saying repeatedly, "I've missed you so much."

Betsy hugged him tightly as tears ran down her face. She was 
overwhelmed by his emotional and exuberant greeting. All of the 
reasons for her anger at him shrank into insignificance. Her fears at 
losing him in the future paled beside the joy of holding him now. 
She cried out, "I love you so much."

Their moment of intimacy was interrupted by a strange sound. 
They broke apart and found that they were surrounded by 
neighbors who were clapping, crying, laughing, or giggling. 
Betsy's eyes went round in amazement. The next door neighbor, 
holding her hands against the sides of her face, exclaimed, "Oh, 
such love."

John shouted, "Everyone, this is Betsy."

With such a large crowd, he didn't know how to introduce them to 
her. The neighbors took care of that themselves as they crowded 
around her, shouting out their names and greeting her. The result 
was a confusing mass of people that made both their heads spin. 
Almost as quickly as they had gathered, the crowd disappeared 
leaving only the neighbor, Maria, standing next to them. Maria 
smiled gently, "Go to the bar and have a drink. People want to 
meet you. Everyone is curious about the girl who holds our John's 
heart in her hands. Once they've met you, they will leave you alone 
so that you can be together."

John noticed she had called him 'our John.' He was touched that he 
had been accepted so easily into the community. Even Betsy 
noticed how protective and proud they were of John. Betsy 
touched and held the hand of the woman. She asked, "Senora, 
would you care to join us?"

"Senorita Betsy, you are so beautiful. I would love to come, but I 
have the children to watch. Go and enjoy yourselves." She made a 
pushing motion with her hands towards the center of town.

John smiled, "Thank you. Tomorrow when the kids are in school, 
please come over for some iced tea."

"Thank you, Senior John. Now go."

John and Betsy headed down the street walking slowly. The street 
was quiet except for the occasional barking dog. John was staring 
raptly at Betsy. After a while, she asked, "What?"

"You are so beautiful. I love you so much."

Betsy smiled, "Flattery will get you everywhere."

John laughed, "Everywhere but alone until we get out of the bar!"

Holding their arms around each other, they walked to the center of 
town. The town looked empty for that time of day. They reached 
the bar and John held open the door open for Betsy. She stepped 
in, followed closely by John. Once they were in the bar proper, 
everyone shouted hello. Both John and Betsy jumped at the sudden 
outburst. They were surrounded by a large crowd.

Ed came up to them, "Hello neighbor. Can I buy you two a drink?"

John smiled at the reference, "Sure, we'll take two wimp drinks."

The whole bar laughed at that. Ed laughed the loudest. Betsy 
looked a little puzzled but recognized that it was an inside joke. Ed 
came over to Betsy and extended his hand, "I'm Ed Biggers. I take 
it you are Betsy."

"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you Ed." She smiled and nodded her head 
in greeting. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I wondered what kind of angel could 
throw steady John into such a frenzy. He was racing around today 
like a mad bull in a red room. I bet he cleaned that house three 
times before you got here. I do know that he was looking out the 
door every five minutes to see if you had arrived."

Betsy laughed and turned to John, "Is that true?"

"I only cleaned it twice and it was every four minutes, not five."

She kissed him on the cheek and laughed, "Only twice? I'm 
shocked and dismayed."

After the laughter died down, the crowd separated John and Betsy 
with relative ease. People came to John and made various 
complementary remarks about Betsy. People came up to Betsy and 
told her how lucky she was to have captured John's heart. 
Somehow, they both ended up with a coke in their hand and on 
separate sides of the bar. 

A sudden noise from the door caused a number of people to gather 
by the bar. John looked over at the bar and saw that it was loaded 
with food. Rosa from Maria's Mexican restaurant was carrying in 
trays of food. There were homemade pies lined up on one end of 
the counter. Ed was smiling as he shouted, "Foods here!"

John and Betsy found themselves side by side and first in line for 
food. Grabbing the heavy-duty paper plates, they filled them with 
enchiladas, tacos, beans, rice, and tamales. Bowls of salsa, chips, 
bean dip, and pitchers of coke and beer appeared on all of the 
tables as if by magic. Betsy was overwhelmed by everything. 
Smiling so hard that her face actually hurt, she cooed, "This is 
amazing!"

"I can't believe they went to all of this trouble," responded John. 
"I'm overwhelmed."

They ate at the table. People sat at the table and chatted a little 
before moving on. By the time the couple had finished their meal, 
everyone had stopped by for a little while. The jukebox was turned 
on and people started dancing. This meant the couple was left 
alone for the first time since they entered the bar.

John and Betsy held hands below the table as they looked at each 
other. They didn't talk much, preferring to enjoy the moment of 
being together without words getting in the way. They stayed that 
way for ten minutes. It was as if they mutually agreed at the same 
moment that they needed to spend a little time with the other 
people gathered there. John looked around and saw Ed. He waved 
him over, "Come on over here, Ed."

Ed sat down at the table with a smile on his face. He asked, "You 
guys having a good time?"

John asked, "Ed, did you set this up?"

"Ah," shrugged Ed. After a significant pause he added, "Everyone 
helped."

John smiled, "Thanks a lot. We are completely overwhelmed. This 
has to be the nicest thing anyone has done for me."

Betsy made a little shooing gesture to John, "Go mingle. Let me 
talk to Ed for a bit."

"Your wish is my command," retorted John with a smile. He 
slipped out of the chair and headed over to the bar. Fixing up a 
plate with pie and grabbing a cup of coffee, he went over to the 
table at which Rosa and her sister, Maria, was sitting. 

Betsy waited until John was out of earshot and turned to Ed, "Has 
he been doing things here?"

Ed decided to be honest, "Do you mean has he been doing heroic 
things?"

Betsy sighed and nodded her head. When she didn't say anything, 
Ed volunteered, "He saved a kid from getting bit by a snake. He 
saved me from becoming an embittered old man."

"How many trips to the hospital?"

"One, for snake bites."

"Only one trip. That's not too bad for him," replied Betsy. 

Ed looked at Betsy for a moment and then stated, "I know the 
whole story. I heard his entire medical history and how he was 
injured each time. I'm the only one in town that knows. He wants 
to keep it that way. I think he's enjoying being a regular person for 
a change."

Betsy smiled, "He always downplays what he does. I love him so 
much, but it hurts each time he gets injured."

"He's blessed. Nothing will kill him until it is his time," replied Ed. 
"He died once to remove his fear."

"What?" asked Betsy.

"Think about it," replied Ed. "His first rescue and he gets killed. 
He finds that dying isn't so bad. Now he can act without hesitation 
and save people although the slightest delay would mean their 
death."

"But he gets injured all the time."

"He does suffer wounds, but doesn't feel the pain and heals 
quickly. It is a blood sacrifice to make the magic work."

Betsy found herself re-appraising Ed. He looked like a cowboy, but 
there was actually a contemplative person hidden behind the 
façade. His explanation actually comforted her. She stated, 
"You've thought about this a lot."

"Yes I have. Now you better head over and chat with Shirley. She's 
the one that's behind the bar over there. She'd grab John in a 
minute if he was unattached, but she won't do a thing knowing he's 
taken. She's a good woman and really wants to meet you."

"You like her?"

"Not in the way you're thinking, I've got Kelly. She's a nurse at the 
hospital. Regarding Shirley, I'm ashamed to say that I've treated 
her really badly in the past."

"I'll go over there now. Keep John away for a few minutes. Girl 
talk, you know?"

Ed laughed, "Can I listen in? I've always wanted to know what you 
women talk about."

"You and every other man!" laughed Betsy. She got out of her seat 
and leaned over to Ed. Kissing him on the cheek, she stated, 
"Thanks a lot."

"What did I do to deserve that?"

"You're watching over him."

Ed watched Betsy walk away. For the first time in his entire life, 
he felt good about himself. It was a pure feeling that didn't 
originate from comparison with others, even if that comparison 
was false. He sat back thinking to himself that he now had two 
friends and he had given them pleasure without expecting anything 
in return. He went over to settle his bill with Maria. He laughed as 
he figured that he had made her happy too.

At the bar, Betsy and Shirley were sizing each other up. It took a 
few minutes, but each woman decided that she liked the other. 
Betsy broke the silence, "So Shirley, you want to tell me what you 
know about Ed and John?"

Betsy listened as Shirley explained the events of the night the two 
men met. Neither woman could believe that John had actually 
grabbed Ed by the balls when Ed was about to hit him. Shirley 
went on to explain about the rattlesnake incident. She described the 
differences in how Ed acted before and after that event. She didn't 
understand it at all. Betsy understood completely and knew she 
wouldn't be able to explain it. 

At that point in the conversation, Shirley stated, "He said he saw 
something that he didn't think existed and that it changed him. Do 
you have any clue what that might have been?"

Betsy smiled, "He saw that there is magic in this world."

"Magic?"

"If magic exists, then that means that dreams can come true."

Shirley looked very thoughtful for a minute and then shook her 
head, "I still don't get it."

"Maybe, just maybe, for the first time since he was a very little kid, 
he feels free to dream."

Ed chose that minute to come over by the bar. He stated, "Excuse 
me ladies. I'm going to leave in minute since I have to be up early 
tomorrow. I just wanted to settle up before leaving."

Betsy smiled, "No problem, Ed. We women have a built-in 
detector that tells us when a man is close enough to overhear our 
girl talk so we can change the topic."

"Darn, one of these days I'll find out what you talk about," Ed 
laughed. He handed an envelope to Shirley, "This ought to cover 
everything for tonight. Thanks a lot for letting us use your place."

Shirley smiled, "My pleasure Ed. I'll total everything up and if 
there's too much here I'll return it."

Ed held up both hands in protest, "Keep it and treat yourself to 
something nice. Okay? If it's not enough, just let me know and I'll 
make up the difference."

"Okay."

Turning to Betsy he stated, "I'll see you the day after tomorrow. 
John's arranged a trip up to Arizona State University for us. Kelly 
will be coming with us. I'm going to try to get into the mineralogy 
program there."

Shirley stared open mouthed at Ed. The news that he was going to 
go to college came out of left field. She could have believed a 
flying saucer landing in the middle of town before that possibility.

Betsy replied, "I'm looking forward to it."

"You ladies have a nice night." Ed turned and left the bar humming 
some tune as he left. 

Shirley looked in the envelope out of curiosity and swore, "Damn. 
He gave me about four times what the bill will come to."

Betsy shrugged her shoulders, "He'll be upset if you try to return 
any of it."

"I believe that," replied Shirley. In the entire time that she had 
serving drinks to Ed, he had never left tips of more than twenty-
five cents. At least, not until recently. His tips had increased 
significantly. He had been very insistent that she kept the full 
amount. 

"You can use the extra to buy him a briefcase and school supplies. 
You could even throw a little party for him when he gets 
accepted." 

Shirley, having grown up around Ed, wasn't quite so sure. She felt 
bad even as she voiced her doubts, "You're pretty sure he'll get in, 
aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm sure. He found magic."

Part 1: Shield, Staff, and Compass
Chapter 18

Tired from the party, Betsy and John had come home and fallen 
asleep. In the morning, they woke with limbs entwined. Waking 
was followed by soft tender kisses. When lips touched lips, the 
whole world disappeared. They made very slow and passionate 
love. It was special and reminiscent of their first time, but with 
much deeper feelings. Both of them surrendered themselves totally 
to the other. This was that rare occasion when neither thinks of 
their individual pleasure and yet does not dwell on pleasing the 
other. There was nothing but the other and that point of contact. 
Skin responded to touch as if the fingers were actually flames. 
Attempting to express the experience in words would only cheapen 
the experience.

They finally left the bed in the early afternoon. After a quick meal 
of scrambled eggs with salsa, Greek coffee, and toast, they moved 
to the patio. For a long time, they sat there not saying a word, just 
holding hands and watching the desert. Betsy broke the silence, 
"You like it here, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. I've never lived in a place like this. When I feel like 
hiking, I just walk out my back door. It is quiet here."

Betsy laughed, "Except for the barking dogs, kids playing in the 
street, and the trucks with broken mufflers."

"You noticed that?"

"You can't help it."

They were quiet for a while. Betsy was lost in thought. John was 
watching the thought processes flicker across her face. He couldn't 
follow what she was thinking, but could tell that some of her 
thoughts were not pleasant, although the majority of them were 
good. When she got that look like she was planning something, he 
interrupted her thoughts, "The stores in town close early."

Betsy looked at him in surprise, "Oh, thanks for telling me. How 
did you know that I was thinking of going into town?"

"I know you!"

Her eyes twinkled, "Yeah, you do at that. I'm going into town for a 
little while. Do you need me to pick up anything?"

"No, I'm fine," replied John. He added, "Don't you want me to go 
there with you?" 

"No." Betsy stood and kissed him. She had an errand to run and 
wanted another chance to talk to Shirley. "I'll see you later. You 
stay here and watch the desert. I think I actually saw a road runner 
over there!"

John laughed, "Okay. Watch out for snakes."

Betsy walked around the side of the house. John watched the sway 
of her ass as she walked away. He rarely saw her in jeans and 
enjoyed the way they showed the shape of her body. He got up and 
went into the house to get a glass of iced tea. When he returned to 
the patio, he looked around at his neighbors yards. He was 
surprised to find his neighbor lying on a chair sunbathing. She was 
wearing a very skimpy bikini.

Remembering his promise from yesterday, he went back into his 
house and got a second glass of iced tea. He walked next door, 
with both glasses and one of his lawn chairs. As he approached, he 
greeted her, "Hello. I invited you over for tea. I'm afraid that we 
were a little late in getting up and Betsy has gone into town for a 
little while. I thought I'd bring some tea over."

Maria called back, "Don't bother. Your lover will be returning 
home soon. You two have much to do and don't need an old lady to 
distract you."

John decided that it was probably a good idea not to press the 
issue. He called back, "You're not an old lady and I'll make it up to 
you. I promise."

"You're a good man John. Take care of your lady first."

John went back into the house and straightened the bed. He started 
a nice basic stew in his large pot. It was the perfect meal for a day 
like today. It could sit simmering on the stove for hours without 
overcooking and still be ready whenever they decided to eat. There 
was enough in the pot for them to eat a late lunch, dinner, and a 
late dinner. If they didn't finish it today, they could eat some more 
tomorrow on their return from the university.

He had just finished fixing the stew when Betsy blew into the 
house. She dropped a package on the counter and shouted, "I've got 
to go to the bathroom. Be right back."

It was ten minutes before she returned. She went to the package 
sitting on the counter and picked it up. She reached in and pulled 
out a box. She handed it to him and stated, "I bought you a 
present."

He looked at it and tried to figure out what it was. It didn't make 
any sense to him. He looked up at her, "What is it?"

"Watch what I do." Betsy took the device. With a few simple 
moves, she set up the device for operation. It was actually a very 
simple process. John followed it easily. She told him, "Hold out 
your hand, palm side up."

He did as she asked. She pressed the tip against his fingertip and 
then pressed the button. There was a sharp sting where the tip met 
his fingertip. He jumped, "What was that?"

She said, "Squeeze the finger."

He did as she told him and a drop of blood was forced out. He 
looked up at her with a puzzled expression. She stated, "Go outside 
and flick the drop off onto the ground."

Shrugging his shoulders, he did as she had requested. Coming back 
into the room, he asked, "What was that all about?"

She looked him in the eye and answered, "That was your blood 
sacrifice to the goddess. Do that every day from now on."

He stood there looking at her. She looked back at him expectantly. 
Her statement seemed to resonate with something that he should 
have guessed by now. He nodded, "I should have thought of that 
myself."

She laughed, "Yes, you should have. Ed suggested something 
along these lines. He suggested that all of your wounds were blood 
sacrifices for the magic you were performing."

"Ed is an interesting fellow, isn't he?"

"Yes he is."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. John 
said, "That's probably him now."

"I'll get it. I know you like to watch me walking away from you in 
these jeans."

John laughed as he watched her walk to the door. Now that was an 
ass that justified killing. Betsy threw open the door expecting Ed. 
Instead, it was a woman and she was a tall gorgeous blond. She 
was wearing a cream colored blouse, a brown short skirt, and 
cream high heels. The look of surprise on the two women's faces 
mirrored each other. The tall woman asked, "Is this the home of 
John Carter?"

Betsy recovered her manners, "Yes. Come in."

The woman nervously entered the house. Betsy closed the door 
behind her. She looked around the blond and looked at John. John 
shrugged his shoulders. He walked over to the blond woman. 
Extending his hand, he stated, "I'm John Carter."

The blond laughed, "I know that. I treated you at the hospital."

"Dr. Hayes? I didn't recognize you."

Betsy sidled around the blond and stood next to John. Knowing 
John as well as she did, it was hard to believe that he wouldn't have 
recognized her, but he wouldn't lie about it. She decided to play 
hostess, "Would you like to come out on the patio? It's the only 
place John has chairs."

John was very flustered, "Excuse me and my bad manners. Betsy 
this is Dr. Hayes. Dr. Hayes, this is Betsy."

Dr. Hayes nervously stated, "Betsy. John. Please excuse this 
interruption. I just had to talk to you."

John replied, "Well, you've come all this way to see me. I'm sure 
it's important. Come out onto the patio and we'll talk there. Do you 
mind if Betsy is there?"

Betsy was rather surprised that she might not be included. Dr. 
Hayes saw the look on her face and stated, "Oh, no. I don't mind. 
In fact, it might make it easier."

The two women went out onto the patio and sat in the chairs. John 
grabbed three glasses and the pitcher of iced tea from the 
refrigerator. There was still ice floating in the pitcher. He dumped 
a few ice cubes into each glass. He carried them out to the patio 
and distributed the glasses to the ladies. He handed two to Betsy. 
He filled the glasses with tea and then set the pitcher down. He got 
out another chair and set it up facing the two women. Seating 
himself and accept the iced tea glass from Betsy, he asked, "What 
can I do for you, Dr. Hayes?"

She smiled and answered, "Would both of you please call me 
Beth?"

John was struck by the similarity of names between Beth and 
Betsy. Betsy just repeated John's question, "What can we do for 
you, Beth?"

Beth was silent for a moment trying to decide how to approach the 
subject. She had not expected to have someone else here. She 
decided that Betsy needed to understand her situation, "Maybe it 
will be best if I explained what happened to me first."

"Okay."

"When John was in the hospital, the fact that a number of people 
there consider me an ice bitch arose," she paused to see what effect 
her words had on the other woman. 

Betsy looked at Beth for a minute and then stated, "I don't think so. 
You might act in a very professional and cold manner at work, but 
in private, you're just the opposite. I'd say you are a natural 
submissive."

Beth blushed. John chuckled and sat back in a very amused 
fashion. Betsy looked confused by the reactions. She asked, "What 
did I say?"

John stated, "You said exactly what I said, almost word for word."

Beth was quiet for a moment. She looked at John. Unsure of 
herself, she stated, "Could you convince me that it is true?"

Betsy smiled and looked at John. John made a gesture indicated 
that she should deal with this situation. She decided to have some 
fun with this. She stated, "Stand up."

Surprised at the source of the command, Beth meekly stood up. 
For a confident professional woman, she seemed very uncertain of 
herself. Betsy stood up next to her, "Put your hands behind your 
back. Grasp your elbows."

Beth did what she was asked. Betsy walked around her and then 
stated, "Spread your legs apart."

Beth did it. Betsy stepped close to the other woman. She 
whispered, "This is standing version of position one. Just imagine 
the effect when you are naked. Your breasts are thrust forward. 
Your cunt is available to immediate touching. Your ass is 
displayed for viewing."

Her comments were greeted by a shaky breath. Betsy continued 
whispering, "I bet your nipples are hard and your cunt is soaked 
right now. I bet you are imagining what it would be like to stand 
there naked right now."

"Yes." Beth's answer was so soft that it could hardly be heard. John 
heard and the thought of her in that situation was turning him on. 
He couldn't believe how Betsy was controlling Beth. She surprised 
him again.

Betsy smiled. "Now lace your fingers behind your neck and pull 
your elbows out to the side."

Beth did so. Betsy watched, "Now this is the standing version of 
position two. It lifts your breasts up. It really shows off your 
nipples, particularly when they are hard. Every part of your body is 
accessible for view and for touching."

Beth shivered, "I want it. I want it so bad."

Although Betsy had never thought of herself as a dominant 
woman, this situation was really turning her on. She glanced at 
John. She could tell he was getting excited by this as well. Betsy 
said, "Beth, what do you want?"

"I don't know," replied Beth. 

"You do know," countered Betsy. She added, "You have to ask for 
it. You have to beg us to provide you the release you seek."

"Yes. I want it."

"What do you want? Say it plainly and clearly."

Beth stood there silently for a full minute. Her breathing was 
heavy. Her entire body was flushed. She licked her lip nervously. 
Finally, she stated, "I want you to control me."

Betsy stood there silently for a moment. Her silence drove Beth 
further into confusion and increased her desire.  Betsy asked, 
"Whose pleasure will you seek?"

Beth stood there uncertain how to answer. She desired her 
pleasure, but knew that her path to it was through their pleasure. 
She shuddered, "Yours and his."

"How will you address us?"

The question exceeded her ability to answer. She had no clue what 
to say. Convinced that a wrong answer would mean that they 
would reject her caused her eyes to water. She whispered, "I don't 
know."

Betsy could hardly believe her ears. Was it possible that she didn't 
know the answer? If so, this woman was truly a natural submissive 
and had never explored the idea before. She stated in a louder 
voice, "You will call me Mistress and you will call John, Master. 
We will call you slave."

"Yes Mistress." Saying it felt completely natural. Standing there 
like that had been beyond any of the wild fantasies that she had 
constructed since John had made his statement at the hospital.

Betsy stood there for a moment looking at John. This was not how 
she expected to spend the evening with him, but she was definitely 
turned on by the situation. She commanded, "Slave, go into the 
house and wait for us."

Beth started to walk into the house with her hands still locked 
behind her head. John stated, "You may put your arms down, 
slave."

"Yes Master."

She walked into the house as the happy couple watched her go. 
Betsy broke the silence, "I didn't expect to spend the evening like 
this."

"I know, but you're turned on."

"How can you tell?"

"I can see your nipples from here!"

Betsy giggled, "Too true. Let's go in and put her through her 
paces."

John answered, "You're the boss."

They entered the house to find Beth standing in the middle of the 
bare living room. She was standing in the same position that she 
had held while on the patio. Betsy smiled on seeing her. She stated 
simply, "Remove your clothes, slave."

"Yes, mistress." Her fingers flew to her blouse and started to 
fumble with the buttons in her excitement.

"Slowly, we want you to reveal yourself slowly."

John leaned against the wall with his arms folded. He was enjoying 
the interplay between the two women. He watched as Beth now 
unbuttoned each button of her blouse in a slow and deliberate 
manner. Her fingers shook with excitement. She couldn't believe 
that she was in a very sexual situation with another woman. She 
was very aware that John was in the room watching, but her 
attention was solely on Betsy. 

Beth slowly pulled the blouse out of the skirt that she was wearing 
and unbuttoned the last button. The blouse now hung slightly open 
showing the center of a very lacy bra. John's eyebrows rose at the 
implications of her choice of clothes. With a deliberate movement, 
Beth slowly pulled the blouse off her shoulders and then by 
dropping her arms allowed the blouse to float to the ground behind 
her. Her white lacy bra clearly showed her nipples rising from pink 
areola. 

Betsy liked what she saw. She stated, "Freeze, slave."

Beth was confused and looked at Betsy. Betsy reacted 
immediately, "I said to freeze slave!"

John watched the interaction. His cock has swollen to the point of 
pain. He wanted out of his pants, but decided that the appropriate 
thing was to let Betsy dictate the evolution of what was happening.

Beth froze. Betsy walked around the other woman examining her 
body. After one complete circuit, she stated, "Continue."

Beth unzipped her skirt. The movements were slow and precise. 
She unbuttoned the skirt and let it fall to the floor. She was 
wearing lacy panties that matched her bra. Beth paused as the 
enormity of the situation struck her. She was about to get naked in 
front of a woman just because the woman had ordered her to 
undress. With a will of its own, her hand reached up to release the 
clasp of her bra. Betsy spoke one word in an authoritative tone of 
voice, "Freeze."

Even John froze at the command, surprised at the authority that her 
voice carried. Beth froze so fast that her heart even skipped a beat. 
Betsy walked around the woman very slowly examining her. The 
sexual tension was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. 
Her cunt was so wet that it was beginning to show through her blue 
jeans. His cock was tenting his jeans, forcing the denim into an 
unnatural stretch. Beth was so wet that her panties had turned 
transparent where they met her cunt.

Betsy stepped over to the wall beside John. She stated, "Continue."

Beth slowly moved the shoulder straps of her bra off her shoulders. 
She unhooked her bra. Taking a deep breath, she slowly pulled the 
bra off and let it slip to the ground. Her breasts were magnificent. 
She paused as though expecting Betsy to say freeze at any 
moment. With no feedback, she slowly moved her hands to her 
panties. Slowly she pulled the panties over her hips and down to 
her thighs, bending over slightly. When they were far enough 
down her legs, she let go and they slid down to the floor. With a 
stately step forward, she was free of them. 

Betsy stated, "Slave, assume standing position number two."

"Yes, mistress." Beth immediately complied. As she looked down, 
she could see how her breasts were pulled up by the posture. 

Betsy walked around Beth again. She was slow and deliberate as 
she looked over the other woman. She took another round. This 
time she stopped occasionally and ran her hand lightly over the 
Beth's skin. Each touched brought chills up and down the Beth's 
spine. After the cursory inspection was over, Betsy ran a finger 
over Beth's erect nipple. The act resulted in Beth emitting a sudden 
scream of pleasure as an orgasm ripped through her body. Her legs 
almost collapsed out from under her, but she maintained her 
position. The suddenness of the orgasm took Betsy and John by 
surprise. 

Betsy rejoined John by the wall with a huge smile on her face. He 
raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question. He wondered what 
was to happen next. She waited for the other woman to recover 
from her orgasm. Once Beth was controlled and her breathing 
returned to normal, at least normal for her state of excitement, 
Betsy commanded, "I'm going to ask you some questions now. In 
your naked state, we'll know if you're not telling the truth."

"Yes, mistress," replied Beth with a tremor in her voice. 

"You came here hoping to get John to do this to you, didn't you?" 
the tone of her voice was accusatory, almost angry. John looked at 
Betsy with surprise.

"Yes mistress," her voice quavered as she answered.  She felt 
ashamed of herself.

"You didn't care if he had another woman. You would have done 
everything in your power to get in this position. Am I right?"

Beth didn't answer. She looked down at the ground in shame. 
Betsy commanded, "Answer me, slave!"

"Yes, mistress. I would have done anything."

Betsy stepped up to Beth. From inches away from Beth's face, she 
asked, "Would you have tried to take him from me?"

 Beth was tempted to step back from Betsy. She stayed in place 
and answered, "Yes, mistress."

"Would you do that now?"

"No, mistress."

"Tell me why, slave!"

Beth stood there and shivered. She didn't want to express what she 
was feeling in words. It was too soon and she hadn't had time to 
come to grips that she was excited by the prospect of serving a 
woman. Betsy commanded, "Tell me, slave."

"I have you and him now, mistress." Her answer was accompanied 
by a sob. Some emotional damn had burst inside her. She started 
crying as Betsy took her into her arms. They stood there together 
in the middle of the room for a long time. John felt uncomfortable, 
he felt as if he were intruding on a very private and personal 
moment.

Drying off the tears on Beth's checks, Betsy stood back. She 
decided that Beth was ready for more. She stated, "Undress me, 
slave." 

Beth stepped up to Betsy and began to unbutton the buttons. John 
stopped her, "Slowly and do not block my view, slave."

Beth moved behind Betsy. To unbutton the blouse, she had to 
stand close to the other woman and reach her hands around her. 
Her erect nipples pressed into the back of the dressed woman. She 
unbuttoned each button very slowly. When she had removed the 
shirt, she carefully folded it and set it upon the floor. The neatness 
contrasted sharply with the rumpled pile of her clothes.

The contact between the two women was exciting both of them. 
John watched while Betsy was slowly undressed. The sight of the 
two women was incredible. He became tremendously excited once 
the pants were removed. He admired the sight of Beth standing 
totally naked, with her arms around Betsy clad only in bra and 
panties.

As he watched Beth remove Betsy's bra, he knew this sight was 
one he would remember forever.  After sliding the straps off the 
shoulders, Beth reached between the breasts of Betsy and 
unsnapped the bra. With a cup in each hand, she slowly pealed 
back the bra exposing the breasts to view. She folded the bra and 
added it to the neat stack of clothes. 

Now that she was left with only the panties, Beth was in a 
quandary regarding how she should remove it. She knelt down 
behind Betsy and slowly pulled the panties down her legs. The 
thong presented very little resistance. As Beth stood, she ran her 
hands along the front of Betsy's body. She stopped once her hands 
cupped Betsy's bare breasts. Betsy leaned her head back against 
Beth's shoulder. 

Betsy shivered and then stepped out of the embrace. She turned to 
John, "Aren't you a little overdressed?"

John smiled, "Well, a little I guess. I just didn't want to disturb one 
of the most beautiful sights that a man can ever see."

Betsy smiled back at him, "And what sight is that?"

"The sight of the woman he loves being attended to by a beautiful 
woman that is totally captivated by her."

"You like?"

"Oh yes. If I could provide you with a bevy of slaves willing to do 
your slightest bidding, I would be the happiest man in the world."

Betsy turned her head so that she was looking at John out of one 
eye. She asked, "Would they all be women?"

"Goodness no, my love. I know you have needs that only a male 
slave could possibly meet," replied John.

"Come over here big guy. Our slave needs to undress you."

John and Betsy exchanged places. Beth moved behind him. A 
woman can undress herself and look sexy as she strips. A woman 
can be undressed by another person and be sexy while the clothes 
come off. It is impossible for a man to undress himself and look 
sexy while doing it. Rarely, can a man look sexy while being 
undressed by woman. Beth made it look sexy. She finished by 
lowering his boxers to the floor and running her hands up his leg 
until she was cupping his balls in the palms of her hands. His cock 
was erect, so engorged with blood that the head was purple. It 
looked like she was balancing his cock and balls in the palm of her 
hand. The sight was so sexy that Betsy nearly came just from 
watching.

Now that all of them were naked, it was time to decide the next 
step. Betsy, in total control of the situation, ordered, "Follow me to 
the bedroom slave!"

In a softer voice she added, "Follow us when you're ready, John. I 
know how much you like to watch a naked woman walking away 
from you."

John watched the two women enter the bedroom appreciating the 
soft sway of women's hips in motion. His excited cock drooled 
pre-come like a facet left running. He entered the bedroom to find 
Betsy lying on the bed. Her head was propped up with the pillows. 
Her spread legs were bent with her knees up in the air. Beth was 
kneeling on the floor, her legs spread wide and hands laced behind 
her head. Her eyes were lowered, but looking directly at Betsy's 
cunt. 

Betsy looked up at John as he entered the room. She cooed, "John, 
why don't you direct our slave for a little while. I'm sure there is 
something that you would like to see her do."

John smiled. He knew exactly what she wanted. He commanded, 
"Slave, your mistress needs to come. If you can make her come 
without going below her waist, Betsy will make sure that you get 
my cock how you want it. If you have to go below her waist to get 
her to come, Betsy will make sure that you get my cock in your 
ass. This only deals with her first orgasm, of course. You're going 
to give her many orgasms before we are through with you for 
tonight. Do you understand, slave?"

 Beth looked at the monster erection that John was sporting. The 
thought that it might be going into her ass scared her. She was very 
motivated not to touch the other woman below the waist. She 
swallowed and answered, "Yes, Master."

Betsy grasped at once the level of effort that she was going to 
receive. She asked, "Where do you want it, slave?"

Beth answered very quickly, "In my vagina, Mistress."

John interrupted, "At work it is a vagina. Here it is a cunt. Answer 
the question correctly, slave."

Beth shuddered at saying the word. She whispered, "In my cunt, 
Master."

"Betsy, couldn't hear you."

She almost shouted, "In my cunt, Mistress."

Betsy smiled at the discomfort of the other woman. She replied, 
"okay."

John stood there and waited. Betsy stayed where she was and 
waited. Beth wondered what she was supposed to do. John finally 
took pity on her, "You can begin, slave."

Beth almost threw herself at Betsy. However, when she reached 
the woman it seemed like she was at a loss what to do next. It 
suddenly hit her that she was about to make love to another 
woman. As much as the idea might have once disturbed her, she 
found herself sexually excited. She decided to go slow and soft. 

John nearly climaxed when Beth brushed her lips against Betsy's 
lips. Betsy parted her mouth, ready to accept a tongue. Beth lightly 
licked Betsy's lips and then moved to nibble on her ears. Her hand 
lightly swept Betsy's neck and cheek. She returned to nibble on 
Betsy's lips. She took her time before directly kissing her on the 
lips. When she thrust her tongue into the other's mouth, it was as if 
a jolt of electricity shot through them both. Betsy's chest was 
flushed from her arousal. With the kiss, she started moaning. Her 
hips dry humped the air as she was driven by the desire for 
something to rub her cunt. 

 Beth's hands moved down the Betsy's chest. She ran her hands 
under and along the bottom of the breasts, never touching the 
excited nipples. Her kisses moved to the neck, pecking with 
softness that bordered on tickling. Betsy was making little animal 
sounds. John recognized the sounds. Betsy was on the verge of 
coming, but it was going to take more than what she had received 
so far to push her over the top. He moved to a spot where he could 
see the action clearer. 

When he got there, he could see Betsy's hand snaking its' way 
down to her cunt. He was tempted to stop her, but then realized 
that he could have some fun with it once she climaxed. Beth had 
slowly kissed her way down to the Betsy's breasts. She still had not 
touched the nipples. Betsy had rubbed her clit two or three times, 
when Beth suddenly bit down on a nipple. Either one of the actions 
was sufficient to push her over the top. Combined, they triggered 
an extremely intense orgasm. Betsy thrashed about on the bed, her 
hand trapped between clenched legs.  

John moved over to Beth so that his cock was just above eye level. 
She looked up at his cock. From her perspective, it was huge. She 
licked her lips as she fantasized about it sawing in and out of her 
cunt. His voice broke into her fantasy, "Slave, look at where her 
hand is."

Beth looked down and saw Becky's hand trapped between her legs. 
She looked up at the cock in front of her. Her precarious situation 
didn't register in her mind. John stated, "Slave, her hand was down 
there before she came."

Beth looked up at him in puzzlement. She eyes returned to his 
cock. Her situation hadn't yet registered. She decided to ask, 
"Master, what are you getting at?"

John smiled, "Slave, your mistress and I have to decide if that 
means you get it in the ass."

Beth's eyes grew large as she looked again at his cock. Only a 
moment before, it looked huge and the source of great pleasure. 
Now it looked gigantic and threatening. She was about to argue, 
but then realized that it would work against her. John ran a finger 
along her asshole. To both of their surprise, she pushed back 
against the finger. John smiled, "Do you have a preference, slave?"

"I will accept what you choose for me, Master."

John stepped back and looked at the sight before him. His 
girlfriend was still shuddering from her orgasm. There was a look 
of quiet desperation on Beth's face as though she expected the 
worst. He knew the rest of the evening was going to be fun.

Part 1: Shield, Staff, and Compass
Chapter 19

Beth woke to the smell of eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee. She was 
alone in a strange bed. She looked frantically around the room. It 
was empty except for the bed, a knapsack, and a suitcase. The 
window had a plain piece of cloth hung over it that allowed the 
light to filter into the room.

As her mind returned to full functionality, she realized that she was 
naked. She didn't know where her clothes were. She ran her hands 
down her body relishing the feel of her satiated body. She had 
never woken feeling so good and satisfied. She thought to herself, 
"This is what feeling well fucked is like. I like it."

The events of the night before returned in a rush that overwhelmed 
her. Images flickered through her mind: her eating Betsy's cunt, 
her sucking that massive cock and swallowing his come, and being 
fucked by him while eating her. She had done things last night that 
she couldn't believe. Had she become a lesbian? No, she had 
enjoyed John too much for that to be the case. However, she could 
still taste Betsy on her lips.

She rose and wondered what she should do. The first thing she 
wanted to do was get dressed. She didn't know how she could face 
them naked. It wasn't the lack of clothes that bothered her, but the 
power of the emotions that they invoked within her. She wondered 
how it was that in only a single night she had fallen in love with 
both a man and a woman. 

Looking around the room, she could see that her clothes were not 
in the room. With nothing to wear, she stepped out of the room and 
entered the living room. Her clothes were neatly folded on the 
floor.

 "Come in and have some breakfast before it gets cold." John's 
voice drifted in from the other room. She wondered how he knew 
that she was awake. She thought she had been quiet.

She stepped out of the living room into the kitchen. John and Betsy 
were standing naked in the kitchen eating off their plates. John 
gestured to a plate on the counter, "That's yours. Sorry about the 
lack of table and chairs, but I don't believe in having too many 
possessions."

"That's okay. It reminds me of my days in medical school." She 
looked at the other two and recognized their total ease in their 
nudity. She was still uncomfortable as she glanced down at his 
cock and wondered if she could take it in her ass. She noticed the 
cup of coffee and took a sip. She recognized the Greek coffee right 
away. 

Betsy laughed, "Well, this is everyday for John. He likes living 
like this. He rents a room from a wonderful old lady. She's in her 
eighties. If it weren't filled with her furniture, there wouldn't be 
anything in it. I discovered that he usually sleeps on the floor on 
nights when I'm not staying over."

This man lived with an eighty year old woman? Beth raised her 
eyebrows, "The lady doesn't mind you staying over at night?"

"Mind? No, she doesn't mind. Since she got a boyfriend, we've 
found them doing it everywhere possible in the house. She loves 
her sex." Beth laughed. She remembered the time when she went 
to get coffee out of the pantry and opened the door to find them 
cramped inside doing it.

"Wow!"

John asked, "I hope that we didn't wake you too early. We didn't 
know what time you needed to be at work, so we got up early. We 
wanted you to have time to shower, get home to change, and get to 
work on time."

"You didn't wake me."

"Did you taste Betsy when you woke up?"

"Yes," replied Beth as she wondered where this was going.

"Well, we made sure you would just about fifteen minutes ago," 
replied Betsy with a grin.

"Oh. OH! I understand," replied Beth as she realized what that 
meant. She stated, "I don't have to be in work early today."

"That's good. However, we were sure you might want to leave 
before Kelly came over. She'll be here in about two hours."

She swallowed the bite of toast she had just taken, "Kelly?"

"Yes, Kelly."

"Who's that?"

"The nurse that was in the examination room with us."

"Oh my God, she can't find me over here. She'll know." Beth 
imagined the rumor circuit at the hospital. She'd never hear the end 
of it. She started eating rapidly. 

John laughed, "I don't think you'll have to worry about her 
discovering anything new at this point in time. She spent the night 
across the street with Ed. Betsy and I saw them last night when 
they road bareback through our yard on his horse. Both of them 
were naked."

Betsy giggled, "You should have seen what she was using for a 
saddle horn."

"Oh my goodness." She looked at her plate and realized that she 
had finished everything on it. She looked through the kitchen door 
and saw her clothes in the living room. She wondered if she had 
enough time for a little more or if she should leave. She decided, "I 
guess I had better leave now. I'll shower at home."

Betsy took the situation in hand and led Beth to the living room. 
She watched as Beth dressed. Dressing is not as sexy as 
undressing, but it is still a thrill to watch a beautiful woman cover 
her body. The two women made small talk while John cleaned the 
dishes in the kitchen. 

He stepped out just as Beth finished putting on her shoes. Beth 
stood before the naked couple, more uncomfortable at being 
dressed than undressed. She faced them feeling very emotional. 
She stepped up to John. She kissed and hugged him. "Thanks so 
much for last night."

"It was my pleasure. I hope you enjoyed it."

"Oh, I did."

She turned to Betsy. For a moment, she felt awkward, but decided 
after last night she should have no reservations about kissing the 
other woman. She hugged and kissed Betsy. Betsy wrapped her 
arms around her and pulled her closer. The kiss intensified 
immensely. Beth finally stepped back, "Thank you so much. You 
have given me more than I can comprehend. You shared him with 
me."

"No, I shared you with him. You're welcome anyway."

"I shall cherish last night for a long time."

Betsy's eyes twinkled. She knew what she was going to say to 
Beth, but wanted to wait for the right time. She led Beth to the 
door and opened it a crack. Beth prepared to leave, but Betsy put a 
hand on her shoulder. Betsy cleared her throat to get Beth's 
attention. "By the way, John is going to be here for another couple 
of weeks. You have my permission to come over once a week and 
serve your Master."

The announcement came as a complete surprise to Beth. When 
Betsy had cleared her throat, she had been expecting to be told to 
never come back here. Instead, she had given her permission to 
come over. She wept openly as she turned and hugged Betsy, "I 
love you so much. I am yours forever."

John and Betsy were both dressed and ready to go. Betsy had 
finished crying from the emotional departure of Beth. John had 
watched the scene unfold with complete surprise. He realized that 
both women had grown and changed somehow during the events 
of the past twelve hours. Beth had experienced her desires and 
come to understand that they were a natural part of her, but not to 
the exclusion of all else. Betsy had found new aspects of her 
character that she had never known she had. He wondered what 
hidden aspects of his character he had yet to expose.

A knock on door the interrupted his thoughts. He walked over and 
opened it. Ed and Kelly came in. Betsy came out of the bedroom. 
John stated, "Betsy, I know you know Ed. This lady is Kelly. 
Kelly, this is Betsy."

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you."

Kelly stood there for a second, "What was Dr. Hayes doing here 
that kept her late enough to leave this morning?"

Betsy got very angry and was about to attack. John smiled, "What 
were you using for a saddle horn last night when you road by on 
the horse?"

 Kelly looked very embarrassed for a moment. She was about to 
retort that it was none of his business and then realized that what 
they had done last night was none of hers. She could tell that her 
question had angered Betsy. She also realized that her interest was 
probably easily mistaken for something that was not very nice. Of 
course, Dr. Hayes would be concerned about her reputation at the 
hospital. She decided to answer, "I was using Ed's cock if I 
remember correctly."

Ed, excited about the fantastic sex he had last night, grinned, 
"Yeah, she was telling me an exciting little story last night that 
involved Dr. Hayes."

Betsy was thoroughly pissed. They using her friend and lover as 
some sort of sex object. Not even bothering to hide her irritation, 
"Would you mind telling me that story, Kelly?"

Kelly looked at Betsy and realized that the day was not getting off 
to a good start. Both John and Ed were bracing themselves for a 
catfight. The men looked at each other in a helpless fashion. Kelly 
looked Betsy in the eye, "You need to understand something 
before I tell you the story. Ed and I were with Dr. Hayes when a 
rather amazing revelation came out. Now out of respect for her, I'm 
not going to tell you what we found out. I will say that it was what 
brought Ed and I together. Now, I would never do anything to hurt 
her."

Betsy was a little mollified by the preamble, but she wasn't sure 
that she trusted the woman. She knew what the revelation had 
been. However, this woman was just a little too curious about the 
sexuality of her friend. She decided to make it plain, "I'd really be 
angry if anything were said that would hurt the reputation of such a 
fine doctor. She's a good woman."

Kelly looked at Ed for support. He nodded his head and stated, 
"You can trust them. They'd never say anything."

John looked at Betsy and shrugged his shoulders. Betsy trusted Ed 
and decided to hear what they had to say. Kelly looked around, 
"We both want to make love to her."

In a flash of understanding, John understood. He had noticed Ed's 
interest when Beth's submissive side had been mentioned in the 
hospital. He hadn't noticed Kelly's reaction. Ed frowned, "You 
know that's just a dream. She wouldn't be interested in us. I'm just 
an old cowboy and she's a nurse that works for her."

Kelly's eyes lit up and it looked like fire was coming from them. 
"You're not just an old cowboy. You're going to be a mineralogist. 
We can have our dreams and if we work hard, they'll come true. I 
go to bed every night and dream about you making love to her and 
her making love to me. That dream ends with me making love to 
you and me making love to her."

Ed was starting to feel a little nervous. There were a few things he 
didn't want known. He stated, "Honey, we're gonna freak them out 
if you keep on."

Kelly turned on him. Her passion was clear to everyone in the 
room. She stated, "I'm gonna have a wife and two husbands, damn 
it! And you and I both know that we want her for a wife."

The idea of such a marriage had always appealed to Betsy. She 
turned to John, "Can I have a wife and two husbands?"

Kelly looked at Betsy as if she wanted to kill her. John answered, 
"Sure. I've got no problem with that."

Ed loved Kelly more than he had ever loved anyone. She was 
everything he wanted in a woman. She had this dream of living as 
a foursome with everyone making love to everyone. He wasn't sure 
how he felt about going down on a guy, but the idea of a larger unit 
of adults attracted him. It always had. Ed asked, "Are you guys 
serious or are you making fun of us?"

Betsy replied, "We're very serious about it. We've discussed it 
many times."

John nodded in support, "You see, loving relationships have to be 
structured so that everyone involved feels comfortable with it. To 
try to force all relationships to fit a common template is wrong. 
The common marriage structure doesn't work for most people, but 
they fear to challenge the status quo. We aren't afraid to live 
differently. We've considered that kind of marriage and others as 
well."

Kelly calmed down significantly and eyed Betsy with a little more 
understanding. She was about to ask for further clarification about 
things, but was interrupted by John, "Jeez, I just noticed the time. 
We had better head out or we're going to be late."

The trip to the university was a great success. The university 
worked out the details for John to be a guest lecturer for a single 
semester. He would teach a course on the physics of liquids. Ed 
was signed up for a study program in mineralogy. His years of 
reading on the subject had actually impressed some of the faculty. 
Kelly and Betsy had spent some time in the student union drinking 
coffee and talking. They became good friends. They realized they 
shared a common profession and they had many of the same ideas 
about relationships. 

Returning home in the early afternoon, they moved out to the 
patio. Sipping tea, they settled into their chairs. John broke the 
silence, "I'm thinking of buying this house."

Betsy's eyebrows rose, "Why?"

John stated, "Well, I need a place where I can use as a retreat. 
When events in Austin get too intense, I need a place to hide and 
recover."

Ed stated, "This is a good place for that. You have many friends 
here. If you need protection, the whole town will help you."

Kelly added, "We have a pretty good hospital."

Betsy sat there for several minutes thinking about the implications. 
She realized that John was letting her know that he was not going 
to be living fulltime in Austin. She also realized after the events of 
the past year that it was impossible for John to live in one place for 
a long time. Betsy asked, "What about us?"

John stated, "We are going to have to work out those details. I 
want to marry you and maybe one of these days you'll say yes. 
However, I can't stop things from happening when I'm around. Our 
marriage stands a better chance of surviving if I'm gone from time 
to time, than if I'm getting shot at every other week."

Betsy nodded, "You're right. However it wouldn't be much of a 
marriage."

Ed sat watching the exchange. He realized that what John proposed 
was extremely tough on a marriage. He wondered how he and 
Kelly would deal with such a situation. He suggested, "You know 
Betsy, you could move here and work at the hospital here. John 
could travel to the university a couple of times a week. This could 
serve as a central site where he lives and travels away as his urges 
dictate."

Kelly added, "Not much happens in a town of two hundred people. 
He won't have to be a hero too often if he lived here."

Betsy listened carefully to each suggestion. It was tempting. She 
wondered if she could help as many people here as in Austin. 
That's when it dawned on her that this was the crux of John's 
problem. The more people he was around, the more people there 
were that needed his help.  She answered, "Let me think about it 
while I'm in the middle east."

John nodded in understanding. He hoped that this might provide 
the solution to a problem that he had been worried about for a long 
time. He was quiet in his thoughts as he wondered about how the 
Goddess would feel about his choice. It was possible that she 
might view it as shirking his duty. Was he supposed to spend his 
life traveling and helping people? He needed an answer to this 
question. He did know that while he had been here that he hadn't 
been driven by urges as often as he had been in Austin. 

Ed broke the silence that had descended upon the foursome, 
"Kelly, this is Betsy's last night here. I think they might appreciate 
a chance to be alone."

She replied, "Of course, how rude of us. You two enjoy yourselves 
tonight."

Betsy smiled, "Don't worry. We will."

John, still lost in thought, missed the exchange. The other couple 
noticed his the introspective look on his face, winked at Betsy, and 
left without disturbing him. Betsy was pleased they understood. 
She watched them leave and then turned to watch John. His mind 
was working furiously. It was at times like this that she recognized 
just how powerful of a mind he possessed. Suddenly he looked up 
at her, "Betsy, I hope that I won't be driven to travel all of the time 
if we choose this option." 

She laid a hand on his arm, "We will deal with that if necessary."

John shook his head, "I guess we will."

They stood up and went in the house. Once the door was shut, 
Betsy giggled, "Last one naked gets tied up!"

The clothes dropped like leaves in an autumn storm. John was 
leading when he tripped over himself trying to get out of his pants. 
By the time he recovered, Betsy was naked and crooking a finger 
at him in a come hither motion. He smiled, "You won. I guess you 
want me to bathe you before you begin torturing me?"

"Good idea."

They showered together with John doing all of the washing. She 
luxuriated in being treated like a queen. John dried her off paying 
close attention to all of those sensitive points. After drying himself 
off, they moved into the bedroom. Betsy looked around the room 
and spotted the backpack. The ever-present rope was right where 
she expected it. With an ease that surprised John, she tied him 
spread eagle to the bed. Looking down on him, she smiled, "I've 
got you where I want you."

She settled down on the bed next to him and started running her 
hand up and down his body. Her touch was light and intended to 
excite rather than relax. Her approach worked as his cock started to 
erect. She dipped a finger into her cunt and worked it in and out. 
When her finger was well coated with her juices, she ran it along 
his lips and under his nose. He licked his lips savoring her taste. 
Each time he inhaled, her scent tickled his nose. His cock became 
fully erect.

She turned her attention to the rest of his body. She kissed him on 
the lips, his neck, his nipples, and belly button. She ran her tongue 
along the inside of his arm. He couldn't believe how good that felt. 
She slowly massaged his balls. The soft touch and the overly 
sensitive nature of his balls brought about a sexual tension unlike 
anything else that a woman can do to a man. John loved it. 
Everything she was doing was designed to excite him.

After thirty minutes of constantly being touched, John was 
practically out of his mind with the desire to come. She didn't give 
him enough pressure to take him over the edge. His cock leaked 
enough pre-come to thoroughly lubricate his cock. She still hadn't 
touched his cock. Finally she grabbed his cock and started to give 
him a handjob. The pressure was just right. Only a few seconds 
and he was ready to come, but she stopped. He groaned in 
frustration as his hips thrust up into the air. He hoped to rub against 
something just for the little bit that would send him over the edge. 

She positioned herself over his mouth and lowered her cunt to his 
waiting tongue. He licked, kissed, and fucked her with his tongue. 
He could feel her excitement as she neared orgasm. He sucked her 
clit into his mouth and took her over the edge. She rubbed her cunt 
into his face as her juices flooded his mouth. The taste only fueled 
his excitement even further.

She climbed off his face and looked at his erect cock. The purple 
head, covered in pre-come, looked positively delicious. She knelt 
down and licked it like a lollipop. His balls drew up and he was on 
the verge of orgasm. She stopped just before he was able to come. 
He started pulling on the ropes as his hips thrust into the air. He 
wanted, no he needed, to come. She smiled at his distress.

With light touches, she ran a finger up and down his cock. When 
his balls started to relax, she'd switch to running her finger around 
the head of his cock. The skin had reached a level of sensitivity 
that even the lightest touch sent chills up and down his spine. His 
balls would pull up and she'd stop. She kept him on the edge of 
orgasm. 

After two hours of this, his entire body started to react in ways that 
he had never experienced. Wave after wave of pleasure swept 
through his body. Still, he did not ejaculate. His cock wept pre-
cum like a bride wept tears when stood up at the altar.  He pulled 
against the ropes trying to free himself. There was only one 
thought in his mind and that was to achieve an ejaculation.

She bent down and slipped his cock into her mouth. The sensation 
was almost too much. His hips started their fucking motion and she 
pulled her mouth off his cock. He was screaming for release. He 
was so close that he was unaware that she had left the room and 
returned. 

She placed lubrication on a finger and started to rub it around his 
asshole. He tried to move down to get penetration. He had no luck. 
His balls had drawn up so tight that he thought that they were 
going to draw up into his body. Pre-come was pouring out of his 
cock. He looked down and saw that it had formed a puddle on his 
stomach. 

Eyes closed, he thrashed around on the bed seeking some way of 
getting release. Suddenly he felt the velvet sensation of Betsy 
lowering herself onto his cock. This was followed immediately by 
her finger driving into his ass. He started humping upwards with 
all of his strength. Once, twice, and then he came. Semen did not 
burst out, it flowed out for five minutes or more. His body went 
into convulsions as multiple orgasms washed through his body. 

Betsy came as she rode the unconscious man beneath her. She had 
never seen him that excited. She sat aside him as cum slowly 
leaked out of her cunt waiting for him to awake. He did not 
awaken for a long while, yet his cock remained erect. She rode to 
another orgasm, both his and hers. He was not aware of it. 

She untied him while he was unconscious. It had been difficult, as 
she had not gotten off him in the process. She stayed on him until 
his eyes opened. She looked down on him, "Have a good one?"

"What did you do to me? I've never experienced anything like 
that."

"I gave you an orgasm."

"Yeah, right. That's what it's called."

Betsy smiled, "Are you ready for something to eat?"

John nodded, "Yes."

Betsy smiled again, "Are you really ready for something to eat?"

"Yes."

She slowly lifted herself off his cock and slid up to his surprised 
face. She squatted over his mouth, "Eat up."

Cum ran out of her cunt in a huge stream. He started licking and 
sucking the juices from her cunt, as fast as he could, but there was 
so much that his face became covered with their combined juices. 
He realized that his hands were free from their bonds and grabbed 
her hips. She rocked at the sensation of his tongue probing her 
deeply. Her hand slipped down to his cock. It only took a few 
minutes for her to come again. 

She lifted herself off John and looked down at him. His face was 
covered with cum. His eyes were wild and his cock was just 
beginning to soften. As she looked at his cock, she realized that he 
had come again while eating her. She bent down and cleaned his 
face. He spoke one word, "Wow."

She laughed, "Wow is right. I kept you from coming for almost 
three hours."

He shook his head, "I think I went crazy there for a while."

She laughed, "That was the whole point."

He took a breath, "Have I told you today how much I love you?"

"No."

"I am the richest man in the world because I have you beside me. I 
could live homeless on the street and be happy knowing that at one 
time you even looked at me. My love for you is boundless and 
unconditional. "

Tears formed in her eyes. Trying to lighten the mood, she asked, 
"So you'd suck a cock for me?"

"I'd go to hell and back for you. Anything you want, I'll do for 
you."

Betsy lay down next to him on the bed. He put his arms around her 
and pulled her close. They watched the sky darken as the sun set. 
They lay there until midnight when they both finally fell asleep.

In the morning, there was the quiet that lovers share when about to 
separate. Neither wants to talk about it, but both know that 
separation is imminent. Little touches, small kisses in passing, and 
sighs when apart marked the morning. As the time approached, 
John broke the morning of silence, "Betsy, I love you and want to 
marry you. While you are away, could you please think about 
marrying me?"

Betsy smiled, "Is that a proposal?"

"Yes. I think they call that a soft-sell. Please think about it."

Betsy nodded her head, "John, I promise you that I will seriously 
consider it this time."

"Thank you."

Betsy finished packing her suitcase. She closed it with a terminal 
sounding thud. John picked it up and carried it out of the room. He 
set it down next to the front door. He asked, "Have you got 
everything?"

"Yes, John. I'm ready to go."

John opened the door and carried the suitcase to her car. She 
opened the trunk of the rental car. John set the suitcase in it with a 
sigh. The moment was coming when he would have to say 
goodbye. He slammed the trunk shut a little harder than he had 
intended. Betsy walked to the drivers door and turned to find that 
he had followed her. Betsy had a misty look in her eye, "I have to 
go now, John."

John stepped up to her and put his arms around her. He kissed her 
passionately, knowing that this was the last kiss for the next 
month. After several minutes, she lightly pushed against his chest. 
He stepped back, "Betsy, I love you. Have a safe trip and take care 
of yourself while you're there. It's a dangerous place."

"You get shot at more than I do," laughed Betsy. She added, "You 
take care of yourself. I love you." 
<1st attachment end>


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