Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. Title: Heat, Stress, Burns, and Cuts Ch. 02 Summary: More mysteries are uncovered before Danny's departure. Keywords: inc,fic New York City, 1789. As my trek to New York had finally come to end, the day had just begun. As carriage was lacking a bed, every bump between Georgia and New York had made its presence quite clear upon my aching back. Soon, the roads became too populated for me to continue my journey in the carriage; alas I set out on foot. Through the thriving markets of the small neighborhoods were welcome sights. Hearing lively songs at the pub, preaching at the church, and babies and mothers cries mixed together from the happiness at the hospital. Such a lively and innocent city New York is, if the wool had been brought up from over their eyes then that innocence would disappear like darkness to light. If they knew what we did behind closed doors to help make their lives better... Most of them would snap under that kind of pressure, a pressure that they could never begin to dream of, not even the new President knows any such pressure and scrutiny that I endear. Speaking of the President, today I am meeting our newly appointed one and we are going to be chatting about a successful partnership between the Vanderbuilt's and the Washington's. I was called forward by President Washington himself, he says in his letters that he respects what I have done for my community and family, but he believes I can do more. Even with the stress I have right now, I believe that I can do something great for this nation, if I have the funds, and the man-power. As I approached the President's hotel suite, his guards greeted me outside with a smile, almost as if he knew who I was. They gave me the go ahead and escorted me inside. Their he stood, the new president. His gaze was set, out the window, looking out to the people who just yesterday, looked upon him at his inauguration, he seemed to almost recognize some faces. He was soon brought out of his gaze when he heard my boots on the wood floor. He turned to greet me and his face lighted up. "Mr. Vanderbuilt!" He said, with a large grin, "Please come and sit! May I get you a cup of ale?" "Splendid! I am parched!" I said as he and I sat, and was given our drinks. "So, what brings me into your presence today, Sir?" I asked. "Well, I have herd of you." He said, pausing to take a drink from his glass "You seem to be quite feared around your city, you are the go-to guy for a loan or a favor around there, no?" He asked. "Why yes, indeed I am, I fancy having friends in many places and diverse trades!" I grinned and took a sip of my ale. "Well, how would you like to do your exact same job, but on a larger scale?" George asked. "I am afraid I don't follow, Sir..." I hesitated. "Well, you see, I have a lot of work on my plate and I need someone with expertise in many areas to provide aid to me. In other words Mr. Vanderbuilt, I would like to offer you the position of Hidden Adviser. This means that along with advising me on certain issues of importance, you will also be giving aid to whomever needs it in the government." He cut me off before I could speak "Please! I meant to say that this can be an incredibly lucrative opportunity for you and yours. So, what say you?" "Well, what kind of person would I be to turn down the President, yes sir, I am at your service whenever needed!" I said, while shaking his hand. "I am so very glad to hear that Mr. Vanderbuilt, you're going to be of much help to us!" Washington D.C, 1815. As I reflect back on the first day that I accepted that job, I often find myself wondering why. Why did I take the job? The answer always comes shortly after the question and it is always the same; I did it because I was not made to do anything else. Some things are certain, like the stress of my occupation, the love for my wife, and my eventual demise, but if I didn't have these things in my life then I wouldn't be who I am today. I think that at some point in my career I went too far, I out too much on my plate and the stress became too much. My wife and my kids began to notice and it soon became certain to me, an old man like me can't handle this anymore. I soon decided the best thing to do was to see if my son would like to work in my place. It turns out, just like me, the stress is a drug, it makes you feel good, and kill you all in the same minute. Some words of wisdom to any Vanderbuilt reading, be it my son, or my sons son; don't let this stress eat away at you like it has me, if you give into the stress you will be as weak as I, and you are not. You can be better, you can do more, and you can be great. - For the last time, Thomas Vanderbuilt. Boston, Massachusetts, 2016. He died a day later, you know. Thomas Vanderbuilt was the first in the long line of Vanderbuilt's to have run this gauntlet that I will soon be enrolled. For the last twelve hours I have been barricaded in this room reading the journal either alone, with Megan, or with Samantha. After all of this I just needed to process, I drew myself a bath and sat to relax. I was soon accompanied by Megan. She eased her way into the tub, soon settling with her ass grinding against my cock, trapping it between her back and my chest. I was too deep in thought to be horny. I know, I know, don't tell me, a hot chick is ready to fuck but I am declining, sue me. We soon start talking about that we have learned and read over the days, as we dove deeper and deeper into the subject, the knot that was once in my stomach soon turned to a pretzel. This stuff was scary, but in this moment, the water hugging my body and my arms wrapped around my girl, I felt safe. We talked for what seemed to be hours. We watched the sunset from our tub and soon after we had talked this all out, my member between my legs decided it wanted to play for a while. As my cock started to grow and grow between the two of us, my hand snaked around and I circled her nipples with my fingers before lightly tugging on them. I got the desired effect from this as she started to melt into me, her moans echoing off of the bathroom walls. Playing around while looking at the Boston skyline is defiantly adds a voyeuristic element to the mix. And I'll tell you that seemed to get Megan going; as my hands finally made their way down to her cunt she was writhing with anticipation. In the same moment that my hand rested on her pussy, her hand was brought behind her and she took a firm hold of my rigid rod. After both of us did a little teasing, she guided my cock to her warm hole and I impaled her with my rock hard erection. "Yeah, come on Danny; stick your big dick into my tiny little cunt!" Megan moaned. I did as she asked as all 8 inches was in her in a matter of seconds. "Your pussy is so tight baby, how do you like my dick you cockslot?" I asked, egging her on. We made our way to the bed, continuing the dirty talk along the way. "Mmmmhhhh, I love it, your cock is filling me to the brim babe." She moaned as she began her attack on my dick. It was a battle; we both wanted the others orgasm and it was a fight to the end for who would get it first. She started by coming on strong, bouncing on my dick like a bunny, her advance lasted for a few minutes until the tables turned and I went on the offensive. My strategy was different, I flipped her over, and as we lay eye to eye, I took a more sensual route, appealing to her emotions. Deep and slow thrusts from me had her moaning uncontrollably. I multiplied the pleasure by rubbing her clit, pushing her further and further to the edge. She still held out, trying to not cum first. I decided it was time to play dirty; I lubed up my finger with her pussy juices, then I dropped my hand down and put a finger into her ass, and my other finger back onto her clit, the battle was soon over. "Unnnhhhh ya I ba- ah unnnnn" I couldn't comprehend what she was saying through her stiff body and gritted teeth. I didn't let up; I kept thrusting eager to get my relief after a 'brutal' war of the orgasms. "I am going to get you back, you bastard!" Megan hissed completing her previous thought with lust still in her voice, "Come on, take your reward, and shoot that load inside of me like a real man!" That really got me going. I renewed my assault on her poor little pussy, pounding it hard and fast, pulling Megan's hair and increasing even more in speed. I only went for another two minutes until I uncontrollably hosed down her insides with jizz. "Ooohh, yeah. That a boy Danny." Megan cooed. "I figured that you wouldn't have had this much of a sex drive with Sam around..." She said, slightly surprised with a bit of relief mixed in. "I actually haven't had anyone else," I said, her ears perked up as I continued "I have felt a bit worried about hurting you or making you feel jealous. I love you too much to hurt you." I said, as the emotions started to come up. "Danny," Megan started "I don't care if you fuck other girls or not, but I am leaving you the option to because I know that with the changes to come, you will be traveling a lot and I might not be there all the time. I just want you to know that the option is open if you decide to take advantage of it." She finished, smiling, leaning in for a kiss. We cuddled and stayed in the night until 9:30pm came along. I started to get ready for my beer with Ivan. Edward was outside to greet me, we decided it be best to walk to Ivan's. On the way, I thought it the perfect opportunity to talk to Edward one on one. "So Edward, I am curious as to how much you know about me and your position here." I asked, stone-faced, knowing that he hadn't yet been informed of his promotion. "Well sir, I don't know much about what I am doing here. Before I was brought here I was top of my class at the secret service and I was going to be put as the head of the president's security. But one day, a man came up to me with a signed document from the president and said that I now work for you, and this is one of the most elite positions in the US government." He said, smirking at his achievements. "However, that wasn't really the question," He continued "You asked about yourself, and so far I only know two things. The first, you have a very high ranking governmental position, and two you are very, very, wealthy." I was intrigued to hear how he came to his conclusions so I urged him to expand on his deduction. "Please, explain you reasoning, I am very interested in knowing." "I can see that you do not come from much, which is evident from our talk as you got off the plane, talking about your previous career, before you discovered all of... whatever this is. So from there I saw your suit at the will reading, and your watch on our motorcycle ride, compared to your previous attire, money was no longer a factor. I could tell that you knew how to enjoy yourself and have fun, which is normally not a political minded view. Now to the good part, I believe that you found out that you were rich, I am guessing right after your time upstairs at your old house. This was because of how your face had turned from stressed and scared, to care free and happy. You are obviously a smart guy, while some think five steps ahead, you think twenty, if life was a chessboard, and you would be champion. All I can say is that I am very happy I am on your good side." The only thing that I could think of was how lucky I was to have such an astute Young man on my side. Ed is a great addition to my team, I will have a person to bounce ideas off of, have some fun with when I am on the road, and other things that will only be learned in time. "It is great to have you on the team Edward, consider this an interview for a promotion that I am giving you. I will be happy to talk to you about all that this is. You deductions were spot on, I recently learned that I am now the operator of a group called The Collective, we operate in secret. You are the 53rd person to know about our group who is still alive today. We run everything, the nominations, the executive orders, the bills; we date back to the amendments. The title of "Advisers Chief Of Staff" is now yours, and you will be privy to most if not all of The Collective's business from now on. You will manage any employees I take on, not that I will be anytime soon, you will organize meetings or trips. Lastly, you will be my confidant for Collective business, I can bounce ideas off of you, and you me. How does that sound?" I asked "Sir, I would be greatly honored to accept this position, yes!" He grinned and shook my hand. At this point we arrived at Ivan's. "Hey, there is a cool doughnut shop down the way if you want to grab something, or you're welcome to come inside and light up a stogy..." I said. "No sir, I will hop down the street to a good pizza place! I will be back in around twenty minutes, will you be sooner than that, if so-" I cut him off "No, I will be longer. Now, go and enjoy yourself. Hell, take a chick back to the hotel!" I said taking out my wallet and handing him a stack of one hundreds. "I forgot to mention, your promotion also includes a considerable raise, consider this part of your bonus." He was all smiles, he thanked me and quickly dismissed himself to go and spend some of his cash. As I made my way into the Tavern I decided to take a mental note of exits, people, and noticeable sights outside. It was a valuable skill to have in these troubling times, I learned it from job interviews and restaurant consulting, it was to insure that I knew if there were anythings to worry or be cautious of while inside. I knocked on the front do and was soon greeted by Ivan, he welcomed me inside. We grabbed a beer and started to shoot the shit. Small talk at first; weather, sports, and the like, then we got a bit more personal; family, political views, and philosophical questions. However, we soon got to the questions that were important; I wanted to know what he knew about The Collective. "So I have a question for you," I said, pausing to take the first sip of my third drink, "What do you know about what I do and who I am?" "Well," He said, slamming back his second beer, "I don't know a lot, to be honest. I was approached around... Gods, must of been thirty years ago, they offered me a large yearly income to keep my business running, to give people things for free, and to close whenever they say so. The paycheck was all I needed to know." He concluded It was becoming more apparent as to how The Collective has stayed hidden for how long that it has; compartmentalization and money. You can try to keep anything secret, but there will always be someone who will try to dig deeper into what is going on, that is where the money comes in, and cash can buy silence easily. The Collective had this down to a silence. Upon some thought, I decided to keep Ivan in the dark; it would put him and his family in danger if they knew the whole truth. Then it hit me, the people who were after me were incredible smart, they always thought the long game. They have killed, cheated, and stole for the power they have. I think that my father knew I would go to Paris that night. He wanted me to. He wanted me to get tough, and accustomed to stress on a daily basis. All this time I thought that I was no longer "in the family" per say. But all was the contrary, I was his legacy. He sent me away to grow and get tough, just as he was on me during my childhood. This is when I realized, I needed to act in brutal and unmerciful ways, for the protection of myself and my family. I bid Ivan goodbye, we planned to meet the next time I am in Boston. I decided to shoot Ed a text telling him I was headed home and to stay out, I didn't want company now anyway. I called up the Concierge and made sure there was a bottle of something strong in my room by the time I arrived back. As I arrived back at the hotel, it was a blur, partly because of the alcohol and because of the impending panic attack, but I had to stop to admire a breath taking women who was at the bar. She was short, of Asian descent, and had a stunning red dress that sunk to her knees. Boy, did that dress emphasize her tits and ass, she must of had rock hard abs under there. My eyes scanned her whole body, my eyes trailing down, and up again. As I reached her face, we made eye contact. She smirked at me and took a sip of her drink through her straw. I couldn't talk to her in this condition, but I noticed that the manager had been watching our encounter so I learn more about her soon enough. Surely enough there was. Just as I capped the bottle I heard the door open, I couldn't talk now, there is too much going through my head... In order to process all that I have just learned, with a drink in my hand, I decided to retreat to the rooftop, just me, myself, and I. In this big a city, you feel as though you are such a tiny part of its footprint, the cabs whizzing by beneath you, the office workers burning themselves out working through the night, the frat boys drinking their self's into oblivion. Sometimes seeing all of this at once shakes you to your core and makes you wonder what you are doing, what your life has amounted to, and why you are where you are. But somehow, all in the same breath seeing the constant construction, the incessant bettering of the city, it can inspire you to do anything and make you hungry for more. Then there is the sound, it is a distinct sound that gives life to a city. The inhale of fading sirens, and the exhale of roaring buses, the heartbeat of subways thumping beneath you, it gives a completely new dimension to how you view this city. It is frigid outside, but I persist, knowing that if I walk in right now and see Megan or Samantha then I will completely break under the pressure. That was exactly what I didn't need; to breakdown, and show weakness to those who are already more scared then me. I remembered my ancestor's words about stress, and not letting it get to me. Spending my entire life in a high stress kitchen, you would think I would be well equipped to handle the stress, but you thought wrong, nothing can prepare you for this. The constant worry of being attacked or assassinated, knowing that there could be a threat around every corner. What is worse is that I am just sitting here, I have no experience in this job. Think back to your first day of school, where you worry yourself so much before you start, and then it is fine when you get there. That is exactly what I am doing, constantly hypothesizing possible scenarios, or problems. What made it worse is that I needed to hold all of this worry in, so I don't concern the others. Just in that moment, I remembered that I still had one person I could talk to; my father! I quickly grabbed the metal block out of my pocket and waved the ring over it. "Hello Son, how may I be of assistance?" Father asked curiously. "I am freaking the fuck out dad!" I spewed out, possibly mixing some words. "Son, calm down," His demeanor changed from happy to comforting on a dime. "What is wrong and how can I help?" He asked. I spilled my mind out to him, told him all of my worries, hypothesizes, and everything. Basically, if my mind was an internet browser, I just closed about 1500 tabs. These "tabs" ranged from The Collective, to thoughts on bio-science, even proposal ideas for Megan, everything was gone, and my mind fog had cleared, stress alleviated. After about 45 minutes of my rambling I finally stopped, and he spoke. "Son, I was this exact same way when I first started to run The Collective. You feel like you are a cog in a big machine," He said, while I nodded my head "But this is the thing, you are not a cog, you control the machine, all of the others are cogs in your big machine. If you think things are going too fast, or you are having a hard time processing, take a month off, you can do that. Shit, you can ignore the President's calls if you want!" He said chuckling. That got a smile and a little laugh out of me. I'll give the old guy credit where it is due; he could always make me laugh. We continued to talk for a while until I felt better; I soon retreated inside to thaw. The fires heat helped warm my body, the almost hypnotizing flames calmed my mind as I sat, coffee in hand, talking to the girls. As my body started to warm, and my mind start to awaken again, I actually started to talk and listen. However that was stopped when I turned to look at Megan. It was like I met her for the first time; my mind was going so fast and taking in so much information... Her hair, it was like I could see every individual lock, her face, and the pours on her skin. The pimple that is beginning to form, even her eyes showed more depth than before, is this what my father was talking about when he said enhanced abilities? For the past few days my sex drive was minimal, it was normally above average, and I just chalked my decrease up to the recent events that had come up. But all of a sudden sitting here, my sex drive was invigorated once again, and the lust and horniness infected my body. Now, I couldn't listen to the girls talk, I could barely hear my inner-monologue anymore. The heat started to engulf my entire body until I felt like I was sitting in an oven. I headed back outside for a while to look over the balcony and calm down. I herd the door open behind me, and I herd gentle breaths and small steps the women came in towards me. Wait, how could I hear her walking over? Ah, more of these heightened side effects. As the women made her way closer I decided to see how my deductive skills have fared through this transformation I went through. I had a 50/50 chance as to who it was, but without seeing them, and the windy Boston sky blowing scents out of my noses reach there wasn't much to go on. Until the mystery women came up behind me, pressing her tits into my back and palming my dick. This didn't really narrow it down much, she proceeded to fish my cock out and start to jerk me off... On a balcony... fifteen stories above Boston, damn my life had gotten a lot more interesting... As she started to pump faster I noticed her nails, clear coat. Megan nor Samantha had clear nails nails. I immediately feared the worst, not wanting to give away my knowledge of the situation I stood still and let her continue as I used my newly enhanced abilities to listen inside and see what I herd. I let out a sigh of relieve when I herd Meg and Sam giggling inside watch this go on. So the game is still a foot, this just got more interesting! Alright, because of where her tits are on my back I am going to assume that she is short. I reached back and grabbed an asscheek, the discovery had been made as soon as I felt the fabric of that amazing red dress. She must of talked to the manager and got sent up here, to be let in by Meg and Sam. But wait, If the manager gave out my details then she must be someone very important. The Floodgates opened, she was Asian, She is a fucking Takida! The Asian branch of the collective, I'll give them one thing, this is one helluva introduction. Right as my discovery was made I started to grow in her hand and was about to explode when she spoke. "Are you going to cum for me Danny" She said in the most adorable Japanese accent. "Oh, Yes I am" I said, keeping my cards close to me until I came. Mind you, I worked all this out while I was getting a really good handjob, that shits impressive, even for my now heightened mind! "That's it," she took her hand off of my cock and spit on it, returning to my member with a freshly lubed hand "Come on, cum for me." Right as she said that the second floodgate opened, not the proverbial one, the literal one. As a torrent of cum came pouring out, plastering the railing and splashing onto her hand. She gasped in surprise when she saw the amount of cum she had coaxed out of me. When I turned around, I took in her body more then before. She was short, around 5'3" with straight black hair cascading down to her shoulder blades. She was petite, her tits were small, only enough to tease with thumbs, not to palm. Her ass on the other hand, she must workout a lot, from her petite frame, her ass nearly blew me away. It wasn't overly large, but it was perfect, not too big, not too small. As I made my way up he body, I noticed the small dimples on her face, then her big, brownish black eyes. They kept your gaze, like you were staring into an endless ocean. "Wow," I said "great work, Ms.Takida" I said, slightly smirking. Her eyes widened and she simply said "How do you know who I am?" "You have your talents..." I replied pointing a finger down to my cum drenched cock, "and I have mine... What is your name anyway?" I asked, unaffected by the utter shock on her face. "Mae, Mae Takida." She said extending her hand, she paused and looked down to my cock, almost admiring her work, "Nice to meet you too." She purred. "Hey," I asked "are you going to leave me like this?" I asked, referring to the massive amount of jizz all over my dick. "Oh!" She fake-gasped, "of course not!" She ducked her head down and licked my cock clean. After that orgasm it would be a while until I was horny again, no blowjob for me yet! As we walked inside I saw the devious grins on both Samantha and Megan, respectively. I stared them down and made it clear that revenge was inevitable. I wasn't mad by any means, I just got a world class handjob from a smoking hot Asian chick, whats better than that? Well, there are some things I suppose, but I was hard pressed to find anything in the moment. As the night started to wind down, Sam and Meg retired for the night, leaving Mae and I to talk amongst ourselves. I started to get hungry so I offered to cook for her. "Hey, you want something to eat?" I asked as I started walking over to the kitchen. She stood up and followed behind me. She sat down at the breakfast bar so we could continue talking. "Sure! What are you making? I am starving..." She said, her body language said she wasn't talking about food. "I am making some crepes, I am in the mood for some in the worst way!" I replied. "Aren't you tired?" I asked, seeing as it was 3:00am. "Nope, it is daytime in Japan, jet lag is a bitch!" She chuckled, "Anyways," She continued "My father would like to meet you as soon as you can manage to get to Tokyo, he will let you stay in our house and give you a tour of the city and collective operations in Asia. Are you up for it?" She asked. I made a mental note to ask the manager about her father. "Under one condition" I said, as her head popped a bit "As long as you are there too..." I completed. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Danny... we might not have enough bedrooms at the house, we might need to share..." she lied, I went along. I leaned in close to her on the opposing side of the breakfast bar. "Isn't that a shame..." I said, looking into her almost black eyes. I placed my hand over hers, "I guess I could share a bed with you, it wouldn't be easy, but it is managable" I said, turning the innuendo up to eleven. With my hand on hers, I could actually feel her pulse, are my abilities that strong alrea- My inner monologue was cut off with a deep and passionate kiss from Mae, she hit me like a freight train, jumping out of her chair and climbing onto me faster than I could comprehend. It ended with her mouth invading mine and her ass grinding and gyrating against my cloth encased hard-on. As we kissed, I turned off the stove, I don't want to cause the evacuation of an entire hotel on account of a romp in the sheets, or elsewhere! We kept making out as we made our way into the soundproof piano room, I kicked the door shut behind me and laid her down on the piano. She lifted up hiked up her red dress to reveal that she was wearing no panties. We returned back to kissing, I dipped a hand down between her legs, feeling the slick walls that my cock will call a temporary home. She moaned into my mouth as I continued to rub her slit while she unbuckled my belt and release my member from its cage. I hopped up onto the 9 foot piano. She slowly guided me into her pussy, methodically fitting every inch into her. She moaned in a way that almost makes you think she was doing it for your benefit, until you feel her squeeze you so hard that you feel like your dick would break off, then you know that she is really just that sensitive. You would of though she was a virgin by the tightness of her pussy, but you knew she wasn't by the techniques and confidence she possessed. I sensed that she wanted to take control so I let her do her thing. She flipped herself on top of me and fucked me at a painstakingly slow rate. She was getting off though, she must of came three times. She started to pick up the pace, going faster and faster until I was almost to the point of cumming. "You look like your going to cum, lover." She said, speeding up still. "Yeah baby," I said "I'm real close, where should I shoot?" "Nowhere, at least not yet." She said, slowing back down, keeping me right on the edge, "You don't get to cum yet, your dick is too good for me not to get a few more orgasms out of you." To be honest, I had half a mind to roll her over and get my orgasm, but what can I say, I am not one to ruin a pleasurable game... "Yes Ma'am" I responded, giving her the power trip she wanted. "Yes, MMMHHH, that's it, fuck me good," She said, teasing me while I give her satisfaction. This went on for another ten or fifteen minutes, bringing me right to the edge of orgasm, then slowing down. Then she finally sped up. "Alright, you have satisfied me, so go on and shoot your load deep inside me, cum for me Danny, CUM!" It hit me all at once, it was an amazing orgasm, I felt ropes and ropes of cum shoot into Mae, it felt like I was in another dimension! After that we went and laid on the couch until sunset, Mae fell asleep in my arms, I didn't sleep anymore, ever. But with midnight activities like this, I was glad! The insanity of no 8 hours of bliss would eventually hit me, but why ruin what I have got going on now? I went and started breakfast for the girls- Holy shit, I just realized that I have an extremely expensive apartment in Boston, with three girls staying in it, all of aforementioned girls willing to fuck me. Man, at times I miss my life in Paris, but with digs like this it is hard to. Maybe on my way to Japan, I'll stop in Paris. After cooking up some breakfast and leaving a note on the counter I went to go and talk to the manager. I walked into the elevator and started to get lost in thought... 'I wonder how many people that the collective has ties too?' I pondered. '2,628,000 as of five minutes ago sir... at many different stages of knowledge regarding our activities' Something that was in my head appeared to say to me. I jumped when I herd the unknown voice talk, quickly flipping the emergency stop lever. 'WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!' I thought. 'Please sir, I mean no harm. My Name is Vitur, I am just trying to provide you with the knowledge that I have at my disposal." He said in an soft, and soothing, yet manly voice. 'Vitur, eh? You are a specialist, right?' 'Indeed sir, I am here to assist whenever you need me to. The cigars got you to the point where you are now mentally strong enough to allow me access into you subconscious. I can begin the process now, it should only take a few seconds for me to probe, but I must warn you, it will be devastatingly painful at first but after you will feel much better.' He concluded. 'Eh,' I though looking at the flipped emergency switch 'fuck it, go for it.' 'Okay, I will initiate the procedure, while I am accessing, I am going to temporarily paralyze you so you don't do harm to yourself.' He then comforted 'but after these few seconds, I will have access to all of your knowledge and memories, we will be almost one.' The pain was unlike anything I have ever felt. It was as if all of the blood in my brain was boiling and my brain tissue was melting, only being kept in by my bowl-like skull. It was a pain that humbled, you know how much that it was for you to take. However in the same instance you realized how little it was compared to all of the pain that other could and have experienced. I tried to scream but I just stayed completely still, standing an an elevator, trying to escape the pain that I was in. In that moment, I understood the true definition of hopelessness. Nothing you could do, say, or scream would change the outcome of this event. You just sit there, enduring so much, but not speaking a single word. I think I may have passed out, I am unsure about that though. 'Sir, are you okay?' Vitur asked. 'Yes... I think.' I said, still groggy from the invasion of my brain. Vitur spoke, '3,2,1... and...' Damn, he called it. My brain fog cleared, only to be replaced with clarity. 'From all of the lives that I have 'lived' yours sure is one of hardship and triumph, Danny.' Vitur finished. I thanked him for the complement and got to work. 'Alright, I want you to do me a favor and pull up facial recognition on everyone I see in this hotel, can you do that?' I asked. 'In my beta testing, sir. That was in 1810!' He laughed. I walked out of the elevator more humbled and wiser than when I got in, I walked with confidence, striding toward the concierges desk. "I need to see him" I told the concierge. Without question, he got up and went to get him. He returned with the manager a few moments later. A smile on his face and a hand extended, the manger carved his path over to me. Our hands collided and he showed me to his office. "What can I help you with, Mr. Vanderbuilt?" He observed my ring and watch. "Or shall I say, Mr. Hidden Adviser..." "Yes" I smiled "Many things have happened since our last meeting. Thanks for the present wrapped in the big red bow last night." I said, referring to Mae. "Not a problem, she asked me, I assume you know who she is?" He asked. "Of course." I responded. It was almost as if I was playing chess, the short answered, almost fun back and forth conversation was a delight. I decided "Lets get to the point. I would like for you or an employee of yours to arrange travel for us four, leaving tomorrow." He already had his notepad out, "I would like to make a four day stop in Paris to tie up loose ends. Then I need a flight to Tokyo, the departing date is yet to be seen. If you could build a list of important members of the collective that reside in Japan and Asia as a whole it would be much appreciated." "Done, done and... Done. Not a problem, the list and arrangements will be at your door in the morning. Is there anything else sir?" He asked. "Yes. I need a file on Mae's father..." 'Hiro' Vitur interjected "...Hiro Takida." I finished. "Consider it done." The manager showed me out of his office and went to work. I had my own work to do... Wait... I actually don't. It seemed clear, we should go and do some activities out in the city. I made my way back up to the room and I asked the girls what they wanted to do, and their answer was unsurprising: "SHOPPING!" They all squealed in one voice. With a sigh and a faked smile I agreed to what they wanted under the impression that we could do what I wanted afterward. Even though my bank account has an impossible amount of money in it, I had no desire to spend it, at least on clothes. We made our way to Copley Place. I had Edward tag along, not for my safety, but my sanity! As Mae, Megan, and Samantha were all hitting up different shops, me and Ed just found a seat anywhere they went and sat down. "So, how was the other night for you?" I asked Ed. "It was good..." He said. "Come on! Details, Ed, details!" "I met a women, Kristen, she came back to the hotel with me last night." He stated, blushing bright red. "Thatta boy! Good man, I'm happy for you." I said, I meant it too. He needed some pussy in his life. I decided not to push him any further. We continued our get up and sit down routine while the girls went to different shops. I saw how all of them were dressed, Mae had a beautiful and elegant blouse skirt combo. Samantha was in Jeans and a white blouse, for the simplicity of the wardrobe, she sure made it look great. Last was Megan, and she was a stunner, wearing a black dress, it went down just above her knees. Compared to little old me with my jeans and tee shirt on. I should probably start wearing more formal apparel. Maybe Ed and I should hit up a tailor on the way back home. I called the Concierge and requested a meeting at a good tailor in Boston, from their track record, most likely the best in Boston. After the girls were done with their shopping, we went over to the tailor. He was a nice guy; Frank was his name. After getting measured for suits we had them sent to are address in Paris, they would arrive within the four days we were there. We headed back to the apartment, Samantha and Mae broke out of our little clique to go and get packed. Megan did the same, I didn't need to yet as I wouldn't be sleeping tonight, so Edward and I hopped outside and had a couple of drinks. The conversation defiantly kept both of our attentions. "So I am in my dorm, and this chick walks in, her name was Anne. My roommate was asleep. She hops on top of me and starts to ride me right" Edward says, "She starts to moan too loud and my roommate wakes up. Instead of trying to hide herself, she asks my roommate, I shit you not." He pauses because he is laughing so hard he can continue. "She say's to my fat roommate 'hey big boy, come over here; This ass won't fill itself' and I swear, he stood up and immediately the idiot passed out on the floor on the fucking floor!" He busted out in a large laugh that I took part in. We talked of my time in Paris and his time in the FBI, and the CIA. He was a well-rounded, and well trained guy. Not to mention he's got some hilarious fucking stories! After my laughing subsided I spoke. "So what did she do, did she help him up or what?" "No, she just shrugged and kept riding me!" He chuckled. The conversation turned from foolish into business over the next hour. "So," I started "How are you liking the job, is everything good?" I asked. "Yes sir, I love it here, I appreciate the opportunity." "Do you have obligations here or are you able to travel?" I asked, not yet telling him of my travel. "I would love to, sir. With my income now I won't have any problems giving some to my family to help them out while I am away. Where will we be going, if I may ask?" "We will be headed to Paris for four days and then we are off to Tokyo for an unknown amount of time. Will that be a problem for you?" I asked. "No sir!" He blurted out "No problem at all! I have always wanted to travel, I would love to accompany you." He said. I thanked him for his dedication and went into the house to see where Megan was, when I noticed something. A small draft, I couldn't find out why my mind had picked up on this but I think Vitur did. 'Sir,' He spoke 'I scanned the apartment and there appears to be a hidden room in the apartment.' 'Lead the way' I said. He lead me into the office that I had opened the box in, on the bookshelf he to me to pull on the book of presidents, I pulled it forward and the bookshelf unlatched from the wall. I walked into the room, to see a hallway made of stone, it was obviously not as old as it looked because this building wasn't built in the 17th century, but the materials sure were old. I grabbed a flashlight and walked down the hall. I found a study, Gothic design, filled with very old books and furniture. The room was shaped like a rectangle, with stone bricked walls and hardwood floors. The long sides of the room were bookshelf's, all of which were filled with old leather-bound books. At the far end of the room there was a desk, made of walnut that looked to be hundreds of years old. A beautiful solid tabletop, with four spiral pillars holding it up, 3 drawers, and diamond encrusted handles. "Danny!" Megan called. I quickly moved out of my new-found study, I didn't want to tell Megan about it yet, as I didn't quite know what to make of it. I quickly made my way outside of the study and headed down towards the bedroom. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her "Yes?" I whispered. She spun herself around and kissed me. "Do you know where my white heels are, I can't find them anywhere." She frustratingly asked as I chuckled. Megan was the type of person who liked to accomplish tasks in their entirety, so she won't stop packing until it is done, which is always fun for me because I can fuck around with her. 'Vitur, where are her damn shoes' I thought 'They are in the closet, sir. Right side, under the dresser.' He said. 'You are very useful you know that' He chuckled, 'I've been told many times.' "Here they are!" I told Megan as I walked out of the closet. "Thank you!" She grabbed me and brought me in for a kiss, "As soon as I am done, your mine." "Yes... Ma'am." I said, smiling. She still makes me feel like I was a love-drunk teenager, is that true love? I had some time so I headed back into the hidden study, I saw that there were three doors that came off of the main room. I opened the first to find a safe, it was open and had nothing in it. The second door was a closet, packed full of my dads old suits. I'll need to try those on later. The third door was a staircase, where does it go, were on the top floor! I went up the flight of stairs to find an oasis. The room resembled a forest of plants and small trees, a garden in the skies of Boston. Many colors, greens, blues, golds, and more presented themselves. In the center of the garden lay a hot tub, that eagerly awaited my arrival. I think I will tell Megan of this place so I can have a partner in the hot tub with me. I started to get that overwhelmed feeling again, hidden passages, going to Tokyo, all of these things that combine can make you very stressed. I am not having another panic attack, I needed some silence and solitude, so I went and grabbed the whiskey and headed to the piano. The music varied, but all of it was bland, mood-less, and dry. I played good before, but this, this is just dreadful. Is it my emotions at this moment? I always play what I feel and... I feel nothing. I need to get to the bottom of this. 'Vitur?' I asked. 'Yes sir?' Vitur replied. 'I don't feel anything right now, what is wrong?' 'Absolutely nothing, sir?' He asked with concern. 'Nothing at all, this is like what happened to my sex drive, I had nothing, and then it all came flooding back. With the same thing happen to my other feelings?' I asked. 'We need to address someone else. Saga, are you out there?' Vitur asked. Another voice came into my head 'Yes Vitur, may I be of assistance to you or master?' A soft feminine voice asked. Vitur spoke next 'Yes, I need to know if in any of your archives you saw any loss of emotions? Our master doesn't feel anything at this moment.' 'Let me see' Saga said, 'Ah, yes, three out of the five Vanderbuilt's that I have access to experienced that.' 'And...' Vitur and I said in one voice. 'They all regained normal use of their emotions within a month. No reason to worry sir, you will be just fine.' She said, happiness in her voice. 'However, until then, here Vitur, this should be enough info to artificially regulate his emotions until he adjusts himself.' 'Okay, engaging now.' Vitur said. 'Thank you Vitur, and Saga. It is much appreciated.' 'Our pleasures' Saga said. Then suddenly, the emotions came flowing back, nothing that got me hysterical or anything, but regular feelings; lust, disdain, anger, and happiness. I began to play, I started slow, playing something moody, and depressing, then I went to fast and precise. I finally settled on a slightly melancholy beat, but with a higher tempo, I would occasionally go into a song that I thought of at the time. After I finished playing Gymnopedies No. 1, there stood Megan in the door, softly clapping. With one of her breathtaking smiles, she spoke. "I could watch you for hours. The way that you get into it and don't see anyone or anything around you, always leaves me in awe." She said. "Just like you and reading. You look as if you are actually in the story, even your face movements match the story." I gave a smile in return, "Want a drink?" I asked. She nodded her head and went to grab a glass. We sat in the living room, major time had passed, it was already 5:00am, looks like Megan would be pulling an all-nighter with me. The difference is, she would actually get tired. "Hey," I started "You wanna see something really cool?" I asked her. She seemed a bit apprehensive but nodded her head. I took her by the hand and lead her into the Office, then into the hidden Study. She was astonished by the decor and collection of literature. We stayed in there for a half hour, just admiring and viewing this rare collection. There were journals of presidents, manuscripts, scrolls that look like that dated back thousands of years. It was simply sublime. After she was done admiring all of the books I led her up to the oasis. She was silent upon seeing such a magical place, she stood completely still, only her eyes moved. She didn't say a word until five minutes later, when she simply said "Wow". I replied in the same fashion; "I know," I then put my hand on the small of her back and asked her "do you want to go skinny dipping with me?" After she was out of her self-induced paralysis, she looked over to me and grinned. She quickly ran over to the hot tub and started shedding her clothes. We settled into the hot tub, and the effect was immediate. There was something different about this water, it seemed to be almost filled with energy. That is when I saw a note that sat on the side of the hot tub with my name on it. I opened it up and it read: 'Danny; the hot tub you are currently soaking in has a few special properties to it. The water inside was found by a man named Alexander Vanderbuilt, the second hidden adviser and the son of Thomas Vanderbuilt. The water comes from Antarctica, found deep under permafrost, where the metal called Rohdum originates from. The water stays constantly warm and has major healing properties, including very fast healing of wounds, and mental injuries as well. I hope this found its way to you, Danny. Forever, Frank Vanderbuilt.' I passed the note over to Megan, she started to become more and more energized and happy as we soaked longer and longer. We must of stayed in there for an hour, just cuddling and talking. "So what do you say? You want to come to Tokyo with Mae and I?" I asked. "I would love to! But what about the restaurant?" She asked, concerned. "I am working on a plan for the restaurant. Don't worry, it will be fine if you are not there. So what do you say, are you in? Oh, we would also need to share a bed with Mae, tight quarters and all..." I said. "Ooooh, I wouldn't have it any other way." She purred. I stared deep into her Grey eyes "I love you so much, you know that don't you?" I asked. She responded with a kiss and a smile "I know, and I love you just as much." She said back. We started to make out and she was grinding on top of me, but then Vitur interrupted. 'Uhh, sir?' He asked. 'Kinda busy here, bud...' 'I am quite aware sir, however, lady Samantha has just stepped onto the elevator to come up here, I recommend you get out so she doesn't discover this place...' He said. "Megan," I started "We gotta get out. Samantha is on her way up..." "How do you know?" Megan asked. 'Vitur? Can you display yourself to Megan?' I asked him. 'Not a problem, sir.' Vitur said as he displayed himself. This got an intimidate gasp out of Megan. "Lady Megan, I am Vitur, here to assist master Danny in all of his needs." He spoke. Megan was slightly put off by this huge surprise. I explained what happened to her on the way out of the place and into our living room. I gave her the quick version of what happened and promised to go further into depth with her at a later time. Just as we got settled on the couch, we herd a knock. I went to go and grab the door. 'But sir-' Vitur tried to interject. "Hey Sam" I said opening the door. "Huh!" Samantha gasped, looking down at my exposed manhood. It was only then when I remembered that Megan and I were skinny dipping... Shit. Well, its nothing she hasn't seen anyway. "Well, it seemed like you were having fun..." She continued, looking over my shoulder to a butt naked Megan. "Well, I will be going now" She finished as she turned around and started to walk. "Wait!" Megan spoke. She stood up and walked in a slinky way over to the door, slung an arm over me and said "Your not going anywhere, you and I have been bad. Danny still has punishment to dole out from our plan to let Mae come up here." "Yeah," I started in with my confidence high, and my girlfriend on board "You two have been bad girls and need to be punished..." The blushing on Samantha's face was evident. She grinned, and walked herself inside. Headed to the bar and poured us some drinks. "So, sir" Megan said "What are your commands?" to be continued.... pics---->> http://bit.ly/1QdQXsDHeatStressBurnsandCutsCh02