Amy's Trepidation

NOTE: This story takes place in the Sex Mage World setting, a mere month after Sex Magic first begins to appear.

PART ONE

Joe frowned as he skimmed the first article that popped up on his web browser’s “Headlines!” feature.  “More and more women continue to awaken to strange Powers over the body and mind. Some appear to be using their powers to lend aid to others, but more than a few are using their powers for selfish gain. This past week, we have gotten reports of several dozen robberies occurring, from muggings on the street to yesterdays cleaning out of the vault of the Tri-National Bank. The women use their powers to incapacitate their victims and steal from them while defenseless, or they use their powers to influence their victims into giving them anything they desire. While some powered women are volunteering their time and efforts to stopping these rogues, it does not appear to be enough. The powers allow these women to perform their criminal acts almost spontaneously and without warning, and with more becoming empowered every day, who knows when the next one will strike, or from where?”

Joe stopped reading, closed the page, and shook his head. “Jesus,” he said. “What is with these women?”

Amy, sitting at the couch, glanced up at Joe and frowned. “What women?”

“Well, all these women using their powers to steal and rape people,” said Joe. “What is wrong with them? Really?”

Amy said, with a shrug, “Not all women are demure, polite little housewives.”

“Well, I know that, but come on,” said Joe. He swiveled in his computer chair, and made a gesture towards the screen. “I know the media isn’t allowed to come out and say it, but we’re talking about some kind of freaky sex power thing. There’s just something inherently wrong about it.”

Amy shrugged. “You do realize that’s just a handful of women using their powers for criminal ends, right? They say other women with similar powers are working to stop them.”

“That’s just the more outrageous ones the media are focusing on,” said Joe. “I have to wonder about all the stuff that isn’t being reported. You know, the women who actually have enough common sense to not try outright robbing a bank in broad daylight because they’re on a power trip. You know, the stuff the media doesn’t catch.”

“Like what?”

“Like, I dunno, a woman using those powers to extort money from a rich guy or to make their husbands into their house slaves. I mean, women have always had that kind of advantage over men. They can make men stupid through seduction or playing innocent; and most guys just fall right into it. But these women, the kinds of Powers that they’ve been developing, I mean… cripes, at least before a man could keep from falling for a woman’s tricks if he just kept a cool head and didn’t let himself get suckered, but this…” He again waved at the computer.

“That does seem pretty scary,” said Amy softly.

Joe shook his head again. “I mean, it’d be one thing if men were also getting these powers. Then at least it might be fair.”

Amy’s brow furrowed. “So… it would be fair for men to get powers so they could start raping women back?”

Joe blinked. “What? NO! I mean, so they could defend themselves, you know, be more on even ground.”

“I dunno,” said Amy. “I think, for the most part, women are better at taking care of others then men. Women in general have more compassion. Obviously, there’s some bad seeds, but if it had to be one gender or the other, well, I’d rather the women get the power. With men, there would be a lot more abuse.”

Joe looked at Amy incredulously. “Wow, that’s pretty sexist. You saying men don’t have honor and decency?”

Amy sighed. “Well, excuse me, but I’m just speaking from experience. I got hit on a decent amount in college. Some guys would back off, but others would be pushy as hell. And some would take any decline as me being a total bitch. Can you imagine, some guy comes up to me and he’s got some kind of sex powers, and all he has to do is look at me, and the next thing I know, I’m sucking him off in the backseat of his car, no matter how much I don’t want to? You have any idea how often that sort of thing would occur?”

“And you’re saying these women aren’t doing the same thing?”

“Look, I’m not defending them at all. I’m just saying if it was men getting these powers, those kinds of problems would be a thousand times more rampant.”

“Gee. Thanks a bunch.” Joe turned away, a scowl on his face.

Amy frowned. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me.” She stood up and gave Joe a hug from behind his chair. After a moment, he let out a breath and leaned back into her a bit.

“It’s just scary to think about,” said Joe.

“I can imagine,” said Amy. She paused for a second, then slowly said, “Still, it could be fun. I mean, what more could a guy want than a woman who can get them off just by thinking about it?”

Joe let out a small laugh. “Well, I dunno,” he mused. “I think a lot of men would prefer to actually have sex with their girlfriends.”

“True, but if she’s just not in the mood, she can still give him a hell of a time, right?” said Amy. “Or if he’s away on a trip, she can blow him over the phone. Literally, not just as a phone sex thing.” She smirked. “You have to admit that sounds pretty cool, huh?” Despite himself, Joe reacted to the idea. She could hear in her mind a low hum as his penis became semi-hard. She caught a fantasy of his blooming in his head, of her blowing him a kiss from across the room and him suddenly feeling like he was being sucked. Amy smiled at this, though Joe didn’t see it.

“I suppose that would be neat,” said Joe. Then he frowned again. “Still, even that’s pretty unfair.”

Amy’s smile faded and she chewed her lip, trying to think of something more encouraging to say. Before she could think of something, Joe stood and stretched, Amy pulling back from him. “Well, I need to go meet with Hank and get started on hauling that stuff.” He smirked and kissed Amy. “You still got that lunch date with your friends?”

Amy nodded. “Yeah, I might be late getting back, so feel free to hang out for a while.”

“Will do,” said Joe. “Love ya.” He gave her a kiss and headed towards the door.

“Love ya,” said Amy. She sighed and grabbed her keys.

PART TWO

“You should totally let him know,” said Megan. “And then really take advantage of it! I’ve been doing all sorts of things to my boyfriend.”

Amy frowned. “Like what? You aren’t torturing him into being your sex slave, are you?”

“What? No! Well, maybe a little.” Megan giggled. “Aw, I just tease him some, you know, make some extended foreplay. He always starts pleading and whining and begging when we go on for too long, but I make it up to him. I give him orgasms he never even imagined were possible. Now he worships the ground I walk on.”

“Before my man cums, I make sure he gets me off just the way I like,” said Joan, with a wink and a sly grin.

Amy chewed her lip and glanced between her two friends. “It’s just, he seems so genuinely freaked out by this whole Sex Magic thing. If I let him know I had these powers, he… I’m afraid of what he’d do.”

“If he really loves you, he’ll understand,” said Megan. She broke out into a wide grin. “And then when you actually give him a test drive of your abilities, he’ll love you even more!” She and Joan shared a giggle.

“I’m being serious!” said Amy.

The two stifled their laughs and gave Amy a sobering look. Joan said, “Amy, listen. There is nothing to be ashamed of having these abilities. Even if you never use them (which would be a real shame), there’s no use hiding them. In fact, that may freak him out even more when he finds out. He’ll probably get the wrong idea.”

“When, huh?” said Amy.

Megan leaned forward. “We don’t know if this is a temporary thing or what, but the media isn’t admitting what most of us already do know: this is happening to all of us. At the rate this thing is spreading, every woman on Earth is going to have powers like us in barely half a year, tops. When they finally come out and just admit it, do you really think Joe is going to believe you’re the only female on the planet without powers?”

“We don’t know that stuff for certain,” said Amy.

Megan just shook her head. “Total denial.” She swept her hand across the restaurant. “I guarantee you, every woman in this building has powers.” She smirked. “Here. I’ll prove it. The most basic ability we have is sensing when a man is excited, right?”

“Um… yeah?” said Amy.

“Okay, then. Wait for it.” Megan closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate. After a moment, Amy started to sense a very faint hum, her own power’s way of perceiving a man’s sexual excitement. At first, she only heard one, then there were several. She traced the hums to the kitchen area. The hums got louder. She didn’t have to see or hear any evidence of what was going on. Going by the humming, she knew instinctively that several men in the kitchen were experiencing a strong state of arousal, and their cocks were now fully hard.

“Quick,” said Megan, “Before someone stops me, look around you.”

Amy did so. From their position at one of the side booths, Amy could see almost the entire dining area and the three dozen or so people seated therein. She saw that almost every woman in the restaurant was turning their heads to the kitchen; the few that weren’t were very clearly trying to avoid doing so, but still glanced in that direction.

Amy was about to tell Megan to stop, when suddenly, a woman on the other side of the restaurant stood up and yelled, “Whoever the fuck is doing that, knock that shit off right now! What the hell is wrong with you?” Before the woman could finish her sentence, the humming stopped instantly like someone pulling the cord on a radio. Megan flinched as it happened; evidently, several women at once had used their power to block hers and the rebound of energy hit Megan unexpectedly. Megan hunkered down in her seat somewhat, as if to avoid being spotted. Such was not her luck. Moments later, the restaurant manager showed up, with a waitresses at his side.

“Ladies,” he said, his face showing barely controlled anger. “Several of my female staff just traced that use Powers to you. We do not tolerate this kind of violation here. We are trying to run a business, and we cannot have you using your powers on our staff, or our patrons for that matter. This is a public, family-friendly restaurant, not a red-light district bar. We’re going to have to ask you to leave. Immediately.”

“Woah!” said Megan. “Hey, I’m sorry, okay? Really. I was just trying to prove a point to my friend here.”

“Well, you very nearly caused one of our chefs to slice his fingers off, and another almost stumbled face first onto the grill. Leave before we call the police and charge you with reckless endangerment.”

“Sir, please, I am extremely sorry,” Megan said. She smiled brightly. “Please, just calm down. We’ll leave, okay? Just please don’t call the cops.” Amy saw Megan stare intently at the manager, and she immediately reached out to try and stop her from making the situation worse.

The waitress beat her to it, slamming her hand on the table, and leaning right into Megan’s face. “Don’t even try it!” she hissed. “One of the men back there is my boyfriend, you fucking whore. Get the fuck out of here, or I swear to god, I’m going to find your man and rip his dick off!”

Megan stared opened mouthed at the girl, utterly stunned. Joan, however, grabbed Megan by the shoulder and leaned over to her ear. “Come on, Megan. Let’s just go.” Megan slowly nodded and the waitress and manager stood aside and let the two women slide out of the booth and make a beeline for the door. Then, they glared at Amy.

Amy, red as a beet, quickly dug into her purse, threw a fifty dollar bill down on the table. It was twelve dollars more than necessary, but she just wanted to get out of there. “I am so, so, so sorry about my friend. I had no idea she was going to do something like that.”

Their features softened a bit, but the waitress’ tone remained harsh. “Next time, you should stop her as soon as she starts. Tell her she’s banned from here. You and your other friend should probably stay away for a while as well.” Amy nodded and quickly left.

PART THREE

“Oh my god, can you believe it?” said Megan, who seemed to have regained her composure. “They really kicked us out for that.”

“They banned you,” said Amy, looking morose. “And they said Joan and I shouldn’t go back for a while.”

“Wow, overreact much?” said Joan. “I mean, you shouldn’t have done that, but that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

“People are just afraid,” said Megan. “It’s our damned Puritan bullshit society. ‘Oh, no, you can cuss like a sailor and show people’s bodies getting torn limb from limb, but heaven forbid you show a nipple on television!’ Shit, can you imagine what’s going to happen to this country when every woman does finally awaken to her power? Every time a man has an erection, every woman in a three block radius is gunna ‘see’ it. They better damn well get fucking used to it.”

“Well, I guess you did nearly got people hurt,” said Joan. “That’s a little bit different.”

“I just gave a few guys some boners! If it was that much of a shock to them, then they aren’t real men!”

“Oh, for God’s sake!” said Amy. “They were working around fire and knives. How did that not occur to you as being dangerous?”

Joan cut off Megan’s next retort, saying, “And you heard the waitress, one of those men was her boyfriend. Man, you’re lucky none of the other men’s significant others were there. That one woman who called you out looked about ready to give you a beat down, and she was just there to have lunch.”

Megan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming herself. “Okay, fine, you’re right. I’m really sorry, I guess I didn’t think it through. But serious, I had no idea that was going to cause such a problem.” She shook her head. “I’m right though, aren’t I? About people being prudes? And how these powers are going to lead to some serious shit if society doesn’t get a fucking clue? I mean, okay, I shouldn’t have done that, but no one actually got hurt, but, we’re still kicked out and banned like we’re fucking terrorists or something. I mean, shit, we’re not the one’s doing bank heists and whatever, right?”

“Yet,” said Amy.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Megan.

“I think this exactly the sort of thing Joe is afraid of,” said Amy. “Two months ago, I couldn’t imagine you doing something like that, but just out of no where you just casually started tinkering with a bunch of strangers’ cocks. How do you think your husband would feel about that if he knew?”

Megan paled slightly. “Please… please don’t tell him,” said Megan. “Seriously, I was just trying to prove a point, I wasn’t trying to… to stir up any shit.” She smacked herself on the forehead. “Christ. I didn’t even think about it like that. Please don’t say anything.”

“I won’t,” said Amy. “But do you see my point? If these powers are going to stick around, how long before what you did just becomes the norm? How long before every man has to spend every second of his life worrying about getting molested at any possible moment?”

“Ha,” said Megan. “Have you met men? I don’t think ‘worry’ is the word you’re looking for.”

“I’m totally serious,” said Amy.

“I think what you’re really asking is how long before you start doing it?” said Joan.

Amy just frowned, not responding to the question. She didn’t have to.

PART FOUR

Amy had been back for a while by the time Joe returned, and by that time, she had been able to assuage some of her worries. She smiled and gave Joe a kiss and hugged him, taking in the scent of sweat and wood, as well as a hint of beer on his breath. She felt, and sensed, his cock twinge a bit at her nearness and she gave a slight smile, but it immediately faded as she felt her stomach knot up. God, she wanted to tell him, but after what happened at the restaurant, she was more uncertain than ever how he would react.

Joe showered and came back downstairs, clicking the television on as he sat down in the living room. A few minutes later, Amy’s heart nearly leaped to her throat as she heard the words: “In local news today, an incident involving indecent use of Powers occurred at a popular restaurant just a few hours ago. This case is yet another causing concern for public safety and decency.” Joe turned the volume up as Amy came into the living room. There on the television was a picture of the restaurant she, Megan, and Joan had been just a couple hours ago.

“The hell?” said Joe. “Hey, isn’t that where you guys like to go to lunch?” His eyes were glued to the TV, so he didn’t notice Amy’s hand go up to her mouth as her jaw dropped slightly.

The anchorman had the usual newscaster’s look of practiced concern in both face and tone. “Just a few hours ago today, three female patrons were eating lunch here, when one of them decided to use her abilities to pull a prank on the chefs. While no one appears to be hurt, this has raised some strong concerns over the decency of using one’s powers in public, even for a seemingly harmless joke.”

The image switched to a view of the waitress who had gotten in Megan’s face. “Yeah, this *bleep* decided she it would be funny or something to just reach into the kitchen with her powers and start giving the chefs a *bleep.* *Bleep-bleep-bleep* what gives her the right to *bleep*. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m not usually this much of a potty mouth, but one of the men is my boyfriend and he almost got his fingers slice off because this careless *bleep* thought it’d be funny to play around with *bleep-bleep*.”

The image switched to the manager. He appeared to have calmed considerably, but still looked upset. “Yes, it was three of our regulars, usually very nice and polite women, good tippers. I certainly wouldn’t have expected that kind of behavior from them, but then, I guess you don’t know people as well as you think you do. Of course, it could just be because of the power.”

“You think it’s these powers that are making them act this way?” said the anchorman.

The manager swallowed nervously, and said, “Well I, I don’t really know, no one really knows. That’s just speculation, of course. But what I’m saying is, these powers, having this kind of power, maybe its getting to these women’s heads. Maybe they’re starting to think rules and common decency don’t apply to them.”

The image switched over to someone else. Amy recognized the woman who had stood up and yelled from the far side of the restaurant. “I mean, we’re in there eating! It’s a public spot, and we’re in their eating and then this woman just thinks it okay to start giving these men— to start that lewd activity. I mean, look, I’m not a prude, okay? I get it, these powers can be fun, but for God’s sake, this isn’t something you do in the middle of public! Those poor men in there, well, I’m sure some of them were enjoying it, you know how men are—no offense—but a few of them almost got hurt, did they mention that? I just can’t believe some women are that brazen. I mean, thank god there were no kids present! We’re in there eating, and then, all of a sudden, we can all just sense it, you know, like all of sudden a guy comes up to you while you’re eating, takes his pants off and starts waving his—”

“I’m sorry, did you say, ‘we all’?”

“Um, yes, I did.”

“‘We all’, who?”

“We women. Us women, whatever.”

“Wait, so, you’re saying every woman in the restaurant was able to ‘sense’ what was going on?”

“Um… yes…”

“Every single one of you?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying, we’re all just trying to enjoy our meal, and then all of us have to put up with— what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m just, uh confirming, you’re saying every woman that was in the restaurant had powers?”

“Yes. In fact, several of us stopped the woman who was, you know, messing around.”

“Well, that’s certainly interesting.” The image cut back to the anchorman, whose professional demeanor was now slightly off. “Well, another case of potential crisis averted by women who are willing to put a stop to the actions of a few bad apples. Still, as they say, one bad apple can ruin the bushel, and one has to wonder how common incidents like this might become if the power continues to spread at the rate it has been. A rate which might actually be higher than first estimated.”

“Wow,” said Joe. He turned to Amy, but just a moment before, she had stepped back out of the room so he couldn’t see how completely mortified she was. He turned the volume down, and said, “Hey, that is the place you like to go to right? You were meeting up with Megan and Joan there today, right?”

Amy didn’t need her powers or a woman’s intuition to know the gears were turning in Joe’s head, and things were very rapidly starting to click into place. Amy took several deep breaths and stepped back into the room, straining to keep herself cool and collected.

“We didn’t go there today,” said Amy. She made a strained smirk. “Kind of a shame, could have been exciting.”

“Ha,” said Joe. “I bet. Still, that one lady said every woman there had powers. Amazing. They’ve been acting like it’s its sporadic cases in random spots, but what are the odds a whole restaurant full of women just happened to have powers?”

“Eh, well, maybe the woman was exaggerating,” said Amy. “You know, heat of the moment stuff. You know how people like to talk big on T.V., makes things seem more dramatic.”

“Yeah,” said Joe. “I guess you’re right.” He smiled, and Amy heard a low hum pick up from him. He stepped up to her and kissed her. Amy kissed him back and the two pressed firmly against one another. She felt his cock harden against her and the hum of his sexual energy buzzed louder in her mind. They broke the kiss and Amy smiled.

“All this talk of freaky sex powers getting you in the mood?” she said, cautiously.

“Well, this talk of sex is getting me in the mood,” said Joe with a grin. “You want to fool around a little?”

Amy smiled brightly to mask her slight disappointment. “Yes, sir!” She kissed him passionately and they made their way to the couch. Joe’s arousal hummed stronger as they stripped each other’s clothes off. She looked at his penis and could sense with perfectly clarity the flow of energy coursing through his body, concentrating on his organ. His cock was alive with vibrations that she could “see” and “hear” with her mind. Instinctively, she reached out and touched his cock, her fingertips resting with pinpoint precision at the sources of the most acute vibrations. He jumped as her fingertips touched his most sensitive sweet spots with perfect accuracy. She kept her fingers where they were and rubbed those spots in short, steady strokes. Within moments, his breath was coming in quick gasps.

He lasted half a minute under her touch before he grabbed her and pushed her down on the couch. Her legs spread open to take him, wrapping around his hips and pulling him forward. He entered her and let out a ragged gasp, and the hum of his sex became a medley of passion. She let herself be taken, moaning and clutching at him, as he thrust into her and kissed her from neck to chest. His pleasure rose in a great crescendo and she rode it all the way up, drinking in his pleasure and combining it with her own. Feeling both his pleasure and her own together, she shot towards climax faster than he did, and she came hard, her sex clenching tightly around his.

In the moments between her cries, she thought to herself, “If only he could feel this, god, if only.” And then, there was a moment when everything seemed to freeze, and her mind echoed back, “Why can’t he? It’s in your ability. Give it to him.” In the moment between heartbeats, she struggled with herself, weighing her options, whether or not to just let him keep his fantasy that his wife was normal, or to show him a taste, just a mere taste of what she could do for him, and risk shattering that illusion. Then the moment passed, and he thrust deep into her again, his sex expanding to meet her clenches as his own orgasm was upon him. At that moment, she went with the flow, and there was no choice at all. She pushed with her power, opening the flow of sensation so that he, too, could experience not only his own pleasure, but hers. At the moment he peaked, the intensity of pleasure he felt nearly tripled in one tremendous burst.

He screamed out loud and erupted into her. He’d never screamed during orgasm before. He had never cum that hard inside her before. Her first orgasm blended into a second as he jerked and spasmed and buried himself as deep as he could go while his orgasm overtook him.

When it was finally over, the two lay back, exhausted. Amy glanced at the TV and noticed with a start that, at most, only three minutes had passed. Only three minutes and she felt like they’d just gone three hours.

“Oh, man,” said Joe. “That was… wow.” He sounded really tired. Between helping his friend haul stuff for a few hours and then following that up with probably the most intense sex and strongest orgasm of his life, he sounded like he was ready to go right to sleep. She, on the other hand, felt energized, perhaps a side effect of the sexual magic. She slid out from under Joe and kissed his cheek, then slipped the throw blanket over him. Joe mumbled something and then, he was asleep.

Amy sat down on one of the chairs next to the couch. Now that the sexual energy was fading, she was starting to come down from her high. She realized she had very likely just blown her cover. Depending on how well he remembered this, he might very well know his wife was a Sex Mage. If she was lucky, though, he’d passed out so quick, it may not have registered.

Amy chewed her lip as she mulled it over, though. Was she really lucky? Maybe it was time. No, it was definitely time. She had to tell him. If she didn’t, she was going to be wallowing in angst until her hair started turning grey before she even turned 35.

But something still stopped her. Something inside Joe, something strong and hungry and driven and male, a primal drive that reassured him he was still a man, still in control of himself and his life, still the pillar of strength and support he believed his wife needed him to be. And she did need him, of course, she needed her husband to be the man he was. That was the man she loved. But if she revealed to him her power, revealed to him that if she really wanted to, she could turn him into a mindless sex slave, that could change. It might break him. His love for her would turn to fear. That was the last thing she wanted to happen.

But she had no idea how long she could prevent it.

PART FIVE

A week had passed since then. Amy and Joe were over at Joan’s house for a barbeque. Megan and her husband Michael were there as well, as was Megan’s younger sister, Stacy and her boyfriend Todd. Joan’s husband Clark was out getting some more ice, but would be back soon.

Joan was at the grill, so the women were all outside chatting. Joe had joined Michael and Todd in the game room, where they were lining up balls on the pool table. He noticed Michael wincing slightly as he leaned over. “You alright there, Mike?”

“Huh, yeah, just a little stiff,” he said. “Been, uh, working out. Kind of.”

Todd snickered. “Is that what she’s calling it these days?” He took the first shot, scattering the triangle of pool balls with a satisfying “crack!”

Joe smiled knowingly. “The missus making it hard to sleep?”

“Ha! Something like that,” he said. He opened his mouth to say more, but then shut it.

Joe gave him a concerned look. “Seriously, you okay? You look kinda worn out.”

“Obviously his wife hasn’t figured out the healing and stamina powers yet, or at least not very well,” said Todd. He missed the next shot, and cursed lightly.

Michael shot him an ugly look and he moved to take his turn. “Todd, it’s not something we should talk about.”

“Come on, we’re all guys here, man,” said Todd. “And what the hell, they can hear us thinking, so it’s not like we can hide anything from ‘em.”

“They can only hear us thinking when it’s about sex,” said Michael.

“Right, so they can always hear us thinking,” said Todd with a laugh.

Michael’s shot missed rather spectacularly and the white ball plunked into a pocket. Todd bent over, fished it out, and lined up his next shot.

Joe’s look of concern increased. “Uh, what are you guys talking about?”

Todd paused in mid-strike and gave Joe a “what do you mean what are we talking about” look. Then he seemed to realize Joe really was clueless. He glanced to Michael, then back to Joe, then back to Michael again. “Um… shit. He does know, right?”

“Know what?” said Joe.

“That our women are—”

“That Megan and Stacy are Sex Mages,” Michael blurted out.

Joe blinked. “Are you… are you serious?”

Todd almost gawked at Joe but he managed to stop himself. Michael was about to say something, when he suddenly paused and looked to the side. Joe followed his gaze out the sliding glass door, where a dozen yards away, the women were around the grill still chatting. He saw Megan look over to them, match eyes with Michael, then smile and wave at them. Joe and Todd waved back half-heartedly. Out of the corner of his eye, Joe saw Michael nod, as though he’d just been told something.

Joe looked from Michael to Megan. “Did she just…”

Michael held up a hand. “Now, calm down Joe. She just sent me a little message, that’s all.” He tapped his forehead. “She said she’s not comfortable with us talking about this, because it’s frankly our private business.” Michael paused, then added. “She’s, uh, she doesn’t want you to get the wrong idea about things.”

“I dunno,” said Joe, taking a swig of his beer. “Sending secret messages telling you to clam up? How exactly does that encourage me to not get the wrong idea?”

“It’s our sex life, man,” said Todd. “It’s none of your business.”

Joe pointed at Michael. “This is a guy who was willing to show us the sex tape he and his wife made a few months ago just to show us how much better his wife was in bed than ours.”

“Man, I was drunk off my ass when I said that, sheesh,” said Michael. “We didn’t even actually make a real sex tape. We just took pictures and made a slideshow out of—.” He paused and his attention was at the door again. Joe snapped his eyes to the door again, but Megan had her back to them now.

“Man, what is she doing to you?”

“Joe, just drop it, okay?” said Todd. “Our ladies are Sex Mages. There’s a fuckload of perks to that, and we’re having a good time with it. If you’re just jealous or something, well, too bad. Maybe you’ll get lucky and your wife—.”

“Christ, can we just stop talking about this?” said Michael.

“I’m just—”

The door behind them banged open and Clark came in bearing too massive bags of frozen water, declaring, “Never fear, the Ice Man is here!”

“’Bout damn time, man,” said Todd with a laugh. “Here, let me help you with that.”

The conversation conveniently interrupted, Michael gave Joe a hard look and said in a low voice, “Just drop it, alright? We’re here to have a good time. Megan told me that Amy told her you’re getting really freaked out about this Sex Mage thing, and she just didn’t want you to know, because she didn’t want it to cause problems. So, can you deal?”

Joe scowled at first, but then nodded. “Yeah, okay, I’ll deal. I’m sorry, man.”

Michael smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “No problem, man. Now that Clark’s back, you want to pair up with me, and him with Todd, and we can have a doubles game?”

Joe smiled. “Sounds awesome.” But as he turned and reached for a cue, his smile faded. He glanced out the sliding door again, just in time to catch Amy’s own gaze quickly dart away from him.

PART SIX

As Joe and Amy drove home from the barbeque, Joe glowered. Amy asked him what was wrong, but he just muttered that it was nothing. He turned on the radio, thinking some music would help ease his mood. Instead he got a radio DJ in the middle of taking calls.

“This 114.5 the Blast, here with our guest Dr. Gayle Luvitts. We what do you say caller?”

“Hey, George, love the show. Got a question for Dr. Luvitts.”

“Go ahead, sir. What’s your name?”

“I would like to remain anonymous if that’s alright.”

“Certainly, sir, I understand.”

“I’m a teacher at a state college, and I’ve been having some concerns regarding the appearance of Sex Magic in young women. It’s not something anyone wants to talk about, but a few of the teachers have been getting, shall we say, ‘influenced’ by some of the students who have manifested abilities. The female teachers who have become similarly empowered are doing their best to keep that sort of thing from happening, but I fear it’s only a matter of time before the whole student body manifests abilities. The girls, anyway. I guess what I’m saying is, do you see this sort of problem going out of control? And, more importantly, what about even younger women? What if girls start manifesting abilities in High School?”

“Hmm,” said Dr. Luvitts. “That is a very good question, sir, and one that I think a lot of people in your profession rightly have. Perhaps even more so, this is a concern many parents must be struggling with. So far, the youngest known Sex Mage is 19 years old. It is still too early to tell for certain, but that really does seem to be the cut off. We don’t know why this happens or how, any more than we know where these powers come from. I suppose it does conveniently circumvent the issue of underaged women obtaining Powers, at least for now. However, legal age or not, the fact remains, young women using their Powers to ‘cheat’ in school compromises one of the most important foundations of our society, undermining the integrity and trust of the teaching profession.

“I want to believe that these are just a few rare cases, but we all know how rampant a teenager’s hormones can be, and the risk is always there. It is very good that the teachers who are Sex Mages are trying to keep things under control, but there are only so many of them, and many, many more students. I think the best answer here lies in the parents. Parents, if you are out there, you have to talk to you children about this, no matter how much you may not want to. If you have a daughter who has manifested Sex Magic, you must instill in her the importance of being responsible with such powers. If you have a son who is a student, you need to let him understand the reality of this situation. It is not just teachers facing this problem, after all, but male students themselves being ‘influenced’ by their empowered female classmates—”

Joe clicked the radio off and made a grunt of disgust. “Unbelievable. It’s even spreading to the kids.”

“I don’t know if I’d consider a 19 year old a kid, exactly,” Amy said.

“To me, a teenager is a kid,” said Joe.

“O.K. Well, they’re getting Sex Magic nonetheless.”

“Just like your friends,” said Joe.

Amy winced. “You, uh, heard about that?”

Joe shook his head, an incredulous look on his face. “You knew? Cripes. Was I the only who didn’t know?”

“It just happened like a week ago or something,” said Amy. “I dunno, Megan didn’t tell me right away, and then you’ve been wigging out over this Sex Mage stuff, and well, I just didn’t want to start any trouble. They’re still our friends, Joe.”

“You’re friends, really,” said Joe. “I’m just the tag along husband. Like the rest of the men your friends have.”

Amy blinked. “Joe, what is your fucking problem? I’m sorry, did Megan or Joan rape you while we were there and I wasn’t looking?”

Joe’s eyes widened. “Joan’s a Sex Mage, too?” He stopped the car and pulled over before he lost control of the vehicle. “Oh, my god. They just said Megan and Stacy were, but Joan is, too?”

Amy resisted the urge to smack herself in the forehead. “Um…”

Joe turned and faced Amy, a dangerous look in his eye. “Tell me the truth Amy. Are you one? Are you a Sex Mage?”

“Joe,” Amy said softly. “You’re scaring me.”

Joe blinked and leaned back. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it. “Jesus,” he said. “They probably all saw it.”

“Saw what?” said Amy cautiously, already knowing the answer.

“All throughout lunch, I kept thinking about it, them being Sex Mages. I kept telling myself, ‘shit, don’t picture them naked, don’t picture them naked, they’ll know if you do’ and of course, that just made me picture them naked.” Joe banged his head on the wheel. “I didn’t even want to do it! I just couldn’t get it out of my head! I bet they all saw it. I bet they all thought I was a fucking sick ass pervert. Thinking about my wife’s friends while my wife was right there.”

He turned to Amy and gave her an imploring look. “Please, honey, whatever they might tell you, and I know they’re going to tell you about it later, just understand I love you and I didn’t mean anything by it. Okay? I’m not unfaithful.”

“Oh, baby, of course I know that,” said Amy. She leaned forward and gave him a reassuring kiss. “I’m sure they respected your privacy enough to not peek into your head. They’re my friends, they’re our friends. You can trust them, okay?”

“So, you’re not mad at me for it?” said Joe.

“Well, it’s not like I haven’t ever pictured another man naked before,” said Amy. “It doesn’t mean I plan on cheating on you. It happens, okay? We’re only human. I’m sure you just got so wrapped up in worry, you ended up trapping the image in your head. This is why you need to calm down and not get so freaked out over this, okay?”

“Okay,” said Joe. He took a breath, calmed down, and started driving again. He paused. “You didn’t answer my question, though.”

“I am not a Sex Mage,” said Amy. She offered a slight smile. “If I was, I’d have probably told you to quit thinking about my friends naked during lunch.”

Joe said nothing for a few tense moments. Then, finally, he said, “Okay, I believe you.”

“Good,” said Amy, and she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

PART SEVEN

The next day, after Joe went to work, Amy called up Joan. “I can’t believe you did that,” she said.

“Did what?” came the reply.

“You were putting thoughts in Joe’s head,” said Amy. “Thoughts of you guys being naked! I tried to block it out for him, but all three of you were doing it!”

Joan laughed. “It was mostly Megan and Stacy. I just popped a couple images in. My job was mainly to block you from blocking them.”

Amy couldn’t believe her ears. “Why the hell would you guys do that?”

“I dunno, maybe to push you into just growing a pair and revealing your powers to him and then hopefully convince him to calm the fuck down?” Amy was silent and Joan could almost hear her jaw drop. “He still doesn’t know, does he? Oh, my god. How the fuck could you not tell him?”

“I can’t believe you would do that,” said Amy. “You messed with my husbands’ mind!”

“We didn’t—”

“You three may as well have grabbed his crotch right in front of me! How dare you?”

“Amy, zip it!” Joan’s voice was harsh. “You keep saying how Joe’s getting more freaked out by the day. We’re getting tired of hearing you bitch about it. We can’t sense the fear coming off him, but we don’t have to, it was plain as day on his goddamned face. Look, Todd accidentally brought it up when the guys were talking, and from how Michael tells it, Joe looked like he was about to take one of the pool cues and break it over Megan’s head. So yeah, we put a tiny loop in his head that would distract him from, say, punching one of us in the jaw when we asked if he would pass the ketchup.”

Amy stood, feeling stunned. “You really… you really thought he would do something like that?”

“We don’t know!” Joan sighed in frustration. “He was freaking us out! And these powers don’t work unless there’s something sexual going on, preferably with the person we’re using our powers on. So we pushed the thoughts into his head, because if he did suddenly flip out on us, that would, hopefully, be enough for the three of us to put him down if we needed to. And it was difficult, Amy. Trying to spark up that libido was like trying to set ice on fire. That’s how freaked out he was. You were there, you saw it; we couldn’t even get his cock up.”

“God, I just… I don’t know how to do this.”

“Joe’s a decent guy, Amy. At least he used to be before this Sex Mage stuff started getting to him. We don’t believe he would try to hurt you, but he’s going to crack if you don’t just confront him about this, like, tonight.”

“What if that’s what makes him crack?” said Amy.

“Well, then. I guess you’re screwed either way, huh?”

PART EIGHT

Things had not gotten any less nerve-wracking for Joe. On the way to work, the radio had more news of Sex Mages using their powers in questionable means. A small segment mentioned something about some women using Sex Magic to perhaps aid in medical research, but most of the stories were about more robberies, a woman making a man run naked in public, and a sorority where all the students were Sex Mages and one of their new initiation activities was to pick a spot on campus and try to make every man within two hundred feet cum in their pants. There was even a mention of a possible new dating trend where Sex Mage women would use their powers to make it so their boyfriends could not masturbate or orgasm without their say so.

This particular piece of news made Joe launch a string of curses at the idea that women would be so heartless as to take away even that simple, basic pleasure from a man. Was this what men were doomed to? Was every husband and boyfriend and boss going to be made to beg and grovel before the women in their lives just for the right to get their rocks off? How much further could these Sex Mages possibly emasculate them? Joe forced himself to stop thinking about, lest he be tempted to cross over into oncoming traffic.

Joe got to the office and was grateful when he saw the elevator up was empty. However, just before the doors closed, a young woman leaped in. Joe wasn’t sure what company she worked for, but the low cut tank top and shorts did not exactly scream “professional.” She paid him no mind at first, concentrating on her cell phone. Joe found his gaze instinctively drawn to her cleavage. He tried to look away before he was caught, but the girl glanced up at him just before he could, as if just noticing he was there. She smiled slyly at him and winked. She raised a hand to her shirt and pulled down, shamelessly bearing her left breast at him. Joe gawked. The girl went back to looking at her cell phone, typing away with her thumb, while with the index finger of her other hand, she idly started circling her nipple, making it hard. It was a hypnotic image, and Joe found himself utterly entranced.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring, but the next thing he knew, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder and shook him. Joe blinked, and all of a sudden, the girl was gone, vanished like a ghost. He was standing in the elevator, the doors wide open, and several people standing there staring at him. Joe looked at the person who had shook him, and saw it was a man he knew worked on the floor above him. The man cracked a grin and pulled him out of the elevator.

“Looks like Tori zapped another unsuspecting sucker,” the man laughed and the other people around the elevator, mostly men, but a few women, laughed along, or smirked knowingly.

“Wh-what?” said Joe.

“Tori, that girl from the third floor, gets away with dressing like she’s on the beach,” said the man. “She likes to hit some of us with sexy illusions from time to time.”

“You mean, she used Powers on me?” Joe’s face went livid. “I can’t… that bitch…”

The man flinched seeing Joe’s reaction. “Hey, calm down, man. She just likes her harmless fun. Besides, she’s got a fantastic set of tits, doesn’t she?”

“I think part of him agrees with that, at least,” said one of the women, nodding downward at Joe.

 Joe realized with a sudden jolt that his cock was unashamedly tenting his slacks. The others laughed again, and the man said, “Ah, don’t worry about it, man, just go to the bathroom, cool, off, and go on to work. You’re the floor below right?”

Joe didn’t answer, instead whirling around and storming off towards the stairs to get to his office. This turned out to provide no relief for him either. Even though his erection had mostly waned by the time he got to his floor, the image of the woman’s naked breast was hot in his mind, and he could not fully suppress his libido. Keeping his gaze at the ground, he failed to notice the women in the office glance in his direction.

He ducked into his cubicle and sat heavily down at his chair. A moment later, Shannon, the woman working in the cubicle next to him, poked her head over the dividing wall. “Hey,” she said, giving him a smile. “Got a late start today?”

“I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t gotten waylaid in the elevator,” grumbled Joe.

“Oh?” said Shannon, a confused look on her face.

“Some girl flashed me,” said Joe. “Then she, I dunno what she did, she hypnotized me or something and then next thing I know, I’m standing alone in the elevator with a fucking boner and the next people trying to get in the elevator are laughing their asses off.”

“Ah, Tori, the Illusionist,” said Shannon. She forced herself not to smile. “Yeah, the higher ups are telling her to knock it off, but she still pulls a fast one every now and then. Sorry, I’m sure that was a little embarrassing.”

“How long has she been doing that?”

“Past couple weeks, I guess,” said Shannon. “You’ve never run into her before?”

“No. Lucky me. Bitch deserves to get fired.”

Shannon blinked. “Wow, you’re really upset. I thought a healthy, red-blooded man like you would love the sight of some nice young tits in your face. I mean, Christ, it’s all you guys think about half the time anyway.” Shannon grinned. “Well, that or ass. Or legs. Or whatever it is you guys like.”

Joe looked up and stared at her. “How the fuck would you know that?” said Joe.

“Ha, come on, everybody knows that,” said Shannon quickly. “A woman doesn’t need Powers to know what’s going on in a man’s head.”

“I’m sure the Powers make it easier, though right?” said Joe slowly.

“Well, duh,” said Shannon. “Even the densest woman would get the hint if she had Powers.”

“How convenient for you.”

“I dunno about convenient. Sometimes, its kind of annoying, like I’ll be trying to get some work done, and then here comes Joe with a massive bo—” She stopped and her eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, crap.”

“You’re one of them!” Joe gasped, standing bolt upright.

Shannon was about to deny it, when she let out a sigh, rolled her eyes, and made a dismissive wave with her hand. “Oh, fuck it, who even cares any more? Yeah, you caught me, I’m a Sex Mage, too. Don’t worry, I don’t mess around with married guys.” She paused and grinned, giving Joe a wink. “Not that they know of.”

“Oh, my god!” said Joe. He took a step back and his face became a mask of panic.

Shannon almost jumped in surprise. “Woah, Joe, calm down, I was just kidding! I’m not gunna mess with you, okay?”

“How many more of you are there?” Joe’s voice was beginning to rise, drawing attention to the two of them. Shannon glanced around, nervously, seeing some of their co-workers pop their heads over the dividing walls.

“Um, Joe, keep it down,” said Shannon. She started to walk around the cubicle wall, but Joe whipped up his hands defensively. Shannon stepped back to where she had been, her face now lined with worry.

“You just stay where you are,” he said, voice low, but with a dangerous tone. “How fucking many of you work here in this office?”

Shannon swallowed, and glanced behind Joe to their boss’s office at the end of the cubicle line. “Um, well, j-just me. And Tori! Well, I mean, Tori’s not in this office, but as far as I know, we’re the only two—”

Joe leaned close, almost threateningly. “Don’t lie to me, damn it! How many?”

Shannon gathered up her courage and leaned forward a bit herself. “Joe, calm down. Sit back down and take a breath, okay? Just forget about—”

“How many?” Joe hissed.

“All of us, okay! Jesus, it’s all of us!”

Joe went pale as a ghost. He glanced around him. He noticed his co-workers also standing up, watching them. A few traded nervous glances. Two of them were women, however, who watched them intently. Joes eyes were almost wild as he looked back to Shannon. “All?” he whispered.

“Yeah, Joe, all of us,” Shannon said. Her voice was calm, but firm. “So if you’re thinking of making a scene, you better think twice.”

“Joe?” said another voice, this one male. Joe jumped and turned to see his boss and his boss’s secretary at the entrance to his cubicle. “Joe, you don’t look so hot and you’re causing a disturbance. I think you should go home.”

“But… I…” Joe said.

“Joe, go home before I have to suspend you. Or worse.” Joe’s jaw worked, but no sound came out. “Joe? Do I need to have security escort you out?”

“That won’t be necessary,” said Shannon. “He’s obviously feeling very ill, he just needs a little help getting back to his car. Actually, he probably shouldn’t drive. Is it alright if I take him home?”

The boss rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “Alright, fine, just hurry back.”

“Thanks, boss.” Shannon nodded and stepped around the wall and went up to Joe, holding out her hand. “Come on, Joe.”

Joe jerked back. “Don’t fucking touch me!” he shouted. Now, everyone on the floor was standing up, watching what was going on.

His boss was turning red and he nearly growled out the words, “Joe, if you don’t go with her right now—”

Shannon held up her hand. “I got this, boss.” Before Joe could react, Shannon stepped into him, pushing herself against him. She reached down and grabbed him by the crotch, then fastened her mouth to his neck, right on an erogenous zone that only Amy had ever known about. Joe reached up to shove Shannon off her, but then her mouth was sucking and her tongue wriggling, and it felt so good, a sudden sharp jolt of pleasure that shot down the length of his spine, curved sharply off his tail bone, and shot straight up his cock. He hardened. She squeezed. And then, a wave of pure arousal washed over him, hot and fierce. It was not a natural arousal, but like someone had just opened a window in his brain and dumped pure aphrodisiac into his system.

Joe felt something ride along the wave of arousal, a presence in his mind, a feminine force reaching into his body taking hold of it. He felt it reach into his limbs and seize them. Shannon pulled back from him and started walking out of the cubicle. Joe, against every urge and instinct in his body, began to follow her. He tried to run, tried to scream, tried to force himself to not feel the sexual heat that was becoming overwhelming. It was no use. She’d caused a spark of pleasure in him and had used her Power to instantly fan it into a raging fire, which then fueled her with all the sexual energy she needed to assert more Power over him.

She had completely taken over his body. He was just a puppet under her mental control. He fought with every once of willpower he had, but it wasn’t enough. He was too frustrated, too frazzled, too damned horny, to muster his concentration. He could only go along on the ride as she forced his body to move.

He couldn’t even speak; only his eyes and his breathing seemed to remain under his control. He saw was his boss raise his hand to his face and shake his head. He saw the secretary moving to follow behind Joe, no doubt to back up Shannon in case he somehow broke free.

That, of course, was an unnecessary precaution. Joe was completely and utterly powerless. As soon as that became a certainty to him, he simply blacked out.

PART NINE

Joe came to just as Shannon was pulling into his driveway. He jumped up in his seat, startling Shannon. “Joe, calm down! We’re at your house.”

Joe looked at her bewildered. “How did you know where I lived? Did you read my mind or something?”

Shannon held up Joe’s cell phone. “I called your wife.” As if on cue, Amy came rushing out of the house.

“Oh, my god, Joe, are you alright?”

Joe scrabbled at the door handle and practically fell out of the car in his attempts to escape. He kept his eyes on Shannon, watching her for any sign she might try something. Joe realized with a sudden chill that even if she did bother to give a sign, it was not like doing so would give Joe any chance at resisting her. He hugged Amy back just as tightly. Shannon just watched them with a look of concern.

Finally, the couple pulled apart and Amy turned to Shannon. “Thank you for bringing him home. Really. I’m sorry about this.”

Shannon glanced from Amy to Joe, then back to Amy. She leaned forward. “Look at him. He’s utterly terrified of me. We’ve worked in the same office together for seven years, and got along great. Heck, we even flirted a bit before you guys got together. Now I’m like some kind of monster to him.”

“Do you have any idea what she did to me?” said Joe. “She molested me! She took control of me like I was a goddamned puppet!”

Shannon looked at Joe, opened her mouth to retort, but then thought better of it. She instead looked back at Amy. “I’m going to go,” she said. “I’d tell him I’m sorry, but it won’t do any good. If he ever snaps out of it, you might want to remind him that if he still has a job, it’s because I stepped in and kept him from doing something stupid.” She paused. “I do apologize to you, though. I had to take control of him and I had to do it by, well, you know…”

Amy pursed her lips, but nodded. “I understand. You did what you had to. Thank you.”

“Thank you?! That’s all you can say?!” blurted out Joe.

“Joe, please be quiet,” said Amy. Joe gawked at her, but obeyed.

Shannon said, “You want me to give you a lift to work so you can pick up his car?”

Amy glanced to Joe, who was barely holding back his anger. “I don’t think that would be a good idea right now.”

Shannon nodded, said good-bye, and quickly left.

“I don’t believe it,” said Joe. “What the hell is happening to the world?”

“Let’s go inside Joe,” said Amy. She took his arm and led him to house.

Joe numbly followed, the rage seeming to fall from him now that Shannon was gone. “Every woman there. Every woman I work with is a Sex Mage. Jesus, they’ve been all around me all this time and I never fucking knew.”

“Shannon told me what happened,” said Amy. She hugged him tightly again. “It’s okay. You’re home now. You’re safe.”

“Yeah,” said Joe. “Safe with my wife. The one normal woman left on the planet.” He pulled Amy away and held her by the shoulders. “You are still normal right, Amy?” His grip tightened on her. “Right?”

Amy looked at him, unable to say anything. His face was an, unreadable expression that could shift to any of a dozen different reactions, none of which Amy wanted to see. His grip tightened further and a sharp pain went through her arms. “Right? Answer me! Why won’t you answer me?”

“Because you’re hurting me!” she said. “Let go!”

“Just answer my question, goddamnit!”

She felt a sudden anger rise in her, the frustration of a thousand lies tamping down a truth that was straining to burst forth. This was it. There was no holding it back anymore. The lies weren’t going to work this time, and she was tired of telling them. “Let go or I will make you let go!”

“Make me? How will you make me?”

Amy set her jaw and glared hard at Joe. His eyes widened as he felt a sudden surge of arousal, just like with Shannon. He became erect almost instantly and he felt a sudden, intense vibration through his cock. Then, he felt something cup his penis head. His eyes widened and he looked down at him. There was nothing there touching him, nothing save the now too-tight material of his slacks. But he felt it, like a phantom hand, the palm cupping his penis head, the fingers curling to tug at the underside of the ridge.

“I remember you damn near threw me off the bed the one time I did this trick,” said Amy. “Just a gentle rub in the right spot after you came and you were thrashing like I was stabbing you with a knife.”

“No!” said Joe. “Don’t—!” But then his words became a series of sharp cries as the phantom hand began swirl around his penis head. Acute pleasure lanced through his organ as he was forced to feel the sensations that were too much to bear. It felt just like the time Amy had given him a hand job, made him cum, and then proceeded to keep stroking him afterwards. Orgasmic pleasure had rapidly turned into sensual agony as his penis head became hyper-sensitized and her mere touch there made him buck like a livewire had been shoved up his ass. In that moment, his wife had, with a simple swirling palm rub, completely and utterly overpowered him. She hadn’t even realized it at the time hoe completely she had done so, but Joe had realized for a moment just how truly powerful his wife was. It was a notion he’d promptly buried in his subconscious, and he’d made her swear to never do that again.

Now, however, all bets were off. She was unloading on him, her Powers making him feel the sensations of post-orgasm torture simply by her willing it. Joe gripped her shoulders so hard, his knuckles went white, but Amy grit her teeth and endured. Joe’s body shook and spasmed, and couldn’t remain standing. He dropped to his knees and clutched at his crotch with his hands, as though that might protect him, but of course, it did not. In fact, the sensations only got more intense as Amy cranked them up higher and faster. Joe was on the floor, bucking and making high pitched, whimpering moans. “Please stop!” he said. “Amy, please! I’m begging you, stop! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

But Amy didn’t stop and if Joe had been able to uncurl himself and look up at her, he would see that she was fuming. She was taking out all her frustration on him now, unleashing a level of anger on him she hadn’t realized she’d felt until now. She kept on going, wrecking him with pleasure-torture for another two minutes before she finally forced herself to stop. Once she did, the anger seemed to drain away, leaving her feeling hollow. She dropped down on her knees next to him and put her arms around him.

“I’m sorry, too,” she said softly.

PART TEN

The two got off the floor and sat down on the chairs in the living room. Joe had a hollow, stunned look on his face. “You’re a Sex Mage,” he said in a low voice.

“I have the Sex Magic Powers, yes.” Amy gave Joe an imploring look. “Please, baby, don’t be afraid of me. I’m not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you.”

“You just did.”

Amy looked downwards. “Only because you were hurting me.” She rubbed her shoulders. “And I didn’t really hurt you. You’re perfectly fine. I just made you feel something uncomfortable.”

“That wasn’t something ‘uncomfortable,’ that was—”

“Pleasure more intense than you could handle. It’s called post-orgasm torture. Except, now, I don’t have to make you cum to feel it.”

Joe was silent for a moment, then hung his head. “A Sex Mage. You’re a goddamned Sex Mage.”

“Stop calling me that. I’m your wife.” Amy’s eyes started to glisten. She was seeing her marriage dissolve away as Joe’s mind churned through several emotions at once. Shock. Hurt. Betrayal. Anger. Uncertainty. Fear.

“How long… how long have you had these powers?”

“About a month,” said Amy. “So, I dunno, a couple weeks after the Powers first started popping up?”

“A month? Are you kidding me?”

“No.”

“Have you been using them on me? Don’t lie to me.”

“Why would I l—” Amy caught herself before she finished the obvious blunder. Why wouldn’t she lie? She’d been lying to him for least a month, after all. “I… well… not in any… like, not really. I mean, not in any way that would, you know, manipulate you.”

“Yes or no!” yelled Joe.

“It’s not that simple!” Amy shouted back. “There’s different aspects of this power, okay? Some things just happen automatically, others you have to willingly use!”

Joe’s jaw worked as he tried to figure out what next to say. “Okay. Okay. Have you ever used powers on me that you have to ‘willingly use?’”

Amy hesitated, then said, “Other than what I did just now, I have used exactly one purposeful ability on you, at least in the sense of actually making you feel something. The last couple times we’ve had sex I’ve used my power to, well, link our pleasure together. It results in the sensations being much more intense.”

“Oh,” said Joe. He sat down as well, on the chair next to Amy’s. “I thought the last few times were pretty intense. I just thought maybe I’d figured something out.”

“Um, well, I mean, you’re still as good as ever. It’s just, I’ve been using my powers to enhance things.”

“Yeah, I got it. Don’t patronize me.”

“I wasn’t—”

Joe cut her off with a quick wave of his hand. “What else?” he said. “You said there were aspects that you can’t shut off or something. I guess that’s, what, the sensory stuff, right?”

Amy nodded. “I can sense when you’re aroused. I hear this sort of humming, in my head. Some women say they see a glow, or they feel a kind of heat. I’m not sure if there’s any other types, but I hear the hum. If I follow it, if I try and trace the hum, it sort of becomes this flow of energy I can just… I can just ‘sense.’ I don’t know how to describe it, really. It’s like trying to describe sight to someone who was born blind.” Joe winced at that, which caused Amy to frown. “I didn’t mean it like—”

Joe waved her off again, “I know, okay, just, go on, tell me what else.”

Amy pursed her lips a bit, but continued. “Well, in short, I can read your body when you’re aroused. I know exactly where to touch, in what way, to get you off at any pace I like. It’s practically instinctive.”

“Jesus,” said Joe. “That’s not even fucking fair.”

“Tell me about it,” said Amy, grinning hesitantly. “Why couldn’t you men get the ability to read women? I mean, this power is kind of redundant for us, huh?”

Joe didn’t laugh. “I’m being serious. Now a woman with these powers can just look at a man, and bam, she automatically knows how to ruin him for all other women? How much harder are guys going to have to work to keep up?”

Amy shook her head. “Joe, you’re looking at this from the wrong angle. And, um, no offense, but kind of selfishly, I might add.” Joe cocked an eyebrow at her. “I mean, yes, I can sense these things in you, but it also means I can show you how to do the same for me. And I don’t mean like order you around, I mean, I can connect to you, I can guide your motions to know what to do.”

“You can control me,” said Joe.

“I, well, I mean, I guess, if you want to look at it that way, but I wouldn’t do that against your will.” Amy leaned forward and gave him an intense look. “Please, believe me, I would never abuse this power.”

Perhaps not ready to tackle that subject himself just yet, Joe backtracked. “There’s other things you can sense, isn’t there?”

“Yes. Although, I have to, uh, actually look. I mean, I have to make a point to look. Usually.”

“And what is that?”

“You seem to already know.”

Joe motioned to the computer. “I’ve been reading up on some things. Blogs, message boards. Stuff the news won’t talk about, because they still don’t want to talk about sex on the air like that. But I want to hear you say it.”

Amy crossed her arms. “No, you know what, I know you’re really freaked out right now, but if you’re going to accuse me of something, just say it.”

Joe snorted. “Or what? You’ll make me say it?”

Amy’s jaw dropped, and tears welled up again. “How… how could you… good God, Joe, don’t you trust me at all?”

Joe leaped to his feet, looming over her, pointing an accusing finger at her. His face went red with anger as he yelled, “You couldn’t trust me enough to tell me you had fucking Sex Powers! For all I know, every goddamned urge I’ve had for the past month, every fantasy in my head, that could be you, screwing around with my mind! You forcing me to feel horny, you forcing me to think about sex, just by simply willing me to! Because that’s what you can do can’t you? You can fuck around with a guy’s mind, read his thoughts, make him feel things, make him think things, make him do things, and there’s not a goddamned thing any of them could do about it! There’s nothing I could about it! Not a goddamned—goddamned thing—” His voice broke and he trembled, not with anger, but fear. There was a look of object terror on his face.

Joe collapsed back in his chair and he shook, sobbing. Amy looked at him with wonder, her own tears spilling free. She had no idea. She knew he had been afraid, but he had no idea the degree to which he was absolutely terrified of what she could do, what soon, all women would be able to do. He was so scared, he couldn’t even hide it anymore.

Hesitantly, Amy got up from her chair and went over to him. She put her arms around him and he leaned into her, like a boy leaning to his mother for support. Amy blinked the tears from her eyes and pet his hair soothingly.

“I’m sorry,” he choked out eventually. “I’m sorry, I just, I can’t take it any more. I’m reading all these things, and seeing everything on the news, and I just, I can’t take it. The thought that every woman out there could potentially just know what I’m thinking and take control of me and use me, and… and I just…”

Joe pulled away from Amy and looked up at her. “I love you. I do. But everything that’s going on out there, you were like that last thing I could hold onto. Some semblance of normalcy. With you I could by myself, be a man without—without just being a man. Whatever the fuck that even means anymore. I mean, Christ. Do you get it? Do you get what I mean when I say this isn’t fair? I know life isn’t fair, I know a man is supposed to just suck it up and roll with the punches, but this, this is just to goddamn much.”

Amy kneeled down next to him and kissed him, first on the forehead, then on the lips. They leaned together, their foreheads touching as Amy took his hands. “I understand, Joe. Believe me. That’s why I never said anything. I knew this upset you. It upset me, too. I feared becoming everything you’re afraid of. I thought if I just pretended not to have the Powers, we could keep things the way they were for us.” She took a breath and pulled back slightly, looking Joe straight in the eye. “But that isn’t going to work. The Powers are not going to just go away if we ignore them, and the longer I have them, the bigger the chance there is that someday the temptation might come and I’ll just snap, and I really will do something terrible with them, because I let my own urges and curiosities fester too long. If I don’t embrace these powers and just accept them, and myself, it’s going to tear me up inside.”

“I didn’t mean to make you feel that way,” said Joe.

“I know,” said Amy. She took another breath and sat back down in her chair, scooting it closer to Joes so she could still hold his hand. “Joe, I’m going to tell you something you don’t want to hear, but you need to know, okay?”

Joe nodded.

“You can trust me, Joe. I love you. I will never hurt you and I will do everything I can to keep you safe. But these Powers, they’re spreading faster than anyone will even admit. They don’t just manifest in random women. It’s like some kind of wave is spreading out across the world. Soon, every woman is going to have powers like me.”

Joe paled. “It really is that wide-spread?”

Amy nodded. “Many women are keeping quiet about it. It’s not a conspiracy or anything. It’s like with us; people are afraid of this kind of drastic change. And the media, they’re underplaying everything because they don’t want to create a mass panic and, well, I don’t think the men in charge are ready to admit how big this has become. I think they want to keep the idea that they, um, that they still have all the power. But that isn’t going to last long. Unless these Powers just spontaneously disappear the next few weeks, we’re looking at a massive global change.”

Joe blinked a few times, trying to process the idea in his head. “Every woman?”

Amy nodded. “Every woman. All my friends? Our neighbors? Your female co-workers? The women you pass on the street? We’re, all of us, Sex Mages.”

Joe leaned back in his seat, pale as a ghost. “I can’t… I can’t even. And you can all… you can all ‘sense’ us like…”

Amy nodded again. She squeezed Joe’s hand slightly. “Yes. We can all see when you get hard. We can see every dirty fantasy in your head. And if we want, we can wrap our thoughts around your dick and have our way with you. And yes, once you’re in our power, we can make do anything we want.”

Joe closed his eyes. “Jesus. We’re fucked. Men, I mean. We’re royally fucked. I mean screwed. I mean… you know what I mean. We’re going to be reduced to sex toys and slave labor.”

Amy kissed Joe’s hand. “We are not going to let that happen. Yes, a few women out there are crooks. A few women out there are going to abuse their powers. But have faith in us. We’re not going to let them get away with it. We’ll protect you. We’ll keep you safe. Good men protected women from evil men, we can do the reverse. You’re just going to have to learn to trust us.”

Joe looked at Amy. “I trust you. I guess I can trust your friends. And, you know, women like Shannon. But everyone else? I just don’t know. How many of those women who have turned out to be ‘bad apples’ were never the type anyone suspected would do such a thing?”

Amy sighed. She thought back to Megan, so casually giving men boners at the restaurant just to make a point. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know how this is going to turn out. I don’t think any of us do. That’s probably why there hasn’t already been a mass declaration by women to admit we all have the Powers. We’re just not sure what to do about this yet.” She pulled him to her and the two hugged tightly. “I love you,” she said. “Whatever happens, I still love you.”

“I love you, too,” he said softly.

She pulled back slightly and gave him a kiss. “Joe, baby, you know there’s a bright side to these powers right? You said it yourself the sex we’ve had lately has been more intense. Well, that’s just the least I can do.” She paused. “If you want, I’d like to show you what else is possible. Would that be alright?”

He tensed. “I don’t… I don’t know. I don’t think I’m ready for that. If it’s anything like how Shannon took control of me—”

“No, sweetie, nothing like that,” she said. “I just want to show you how much I love you and how you don’t have to be afraid of these powers. May I?”

Joe almost asked if he had a choice, but knew that would be the wrong thing to say. He could decline, but he realized that, now that he knew for certain his wife had Powers, a part of him was now truly curious as to what she could do.

“Please, go easy on me,” he said, feeling a bolt of shame that he felt the need to ask that of his wife.

She soothed his feelings of humiliation with another loving kiss. “Of course,” she said. “To be honest, I haven’t practiced most of this yet. This’ll be a learning experience for both of us.”

“I guess when you put it that way, it does seem less scary,” said Joe. He made a slight smile.

“That’s the spirit,” said Amy. She pressed against him and kissed him again, passionately this time. Her hand caressed his cheek and slid down his chest and stomach, then settled onto his cock. She heard the hum begin as his cock responded. With her power, she reached out, extending a hum of her own in her mind and matching it to his. She raised the hum higher, and he felt his arousal swell within him in a sudden burst that took his breath away.

They pulled apart and Joe gasped as his cock snapped up to full mast almost instantly. He felt a burning desire to rip his clothes off and he did so without hesitation. Amy followed suit, stripping just as quickly. She stood bare before him and his eyes widened in awe. She was beautiful and powerful, her nude body radiating sexuality and inflaming his libido with such intensity, he nearly felt faint. “Oh, Amy,” he breathed and nearly fell to his knees. His body trembled with lust.

“Take me,” she said spreading her arms to welcome him. He outright pounced on her, and they tumbled to the floor, a tangle of clutching limbs, mouths and groins coming together, and moaning in tandem with the throbbing hum of sexual energy that enveloped them both. Amy linked their feelings and sensations together, and the pleasure stole the breath from their lungs. Within thirty seconds, they climaxed. But unlike last time, Amy didn’t let them stop. Joe’s cock remained hard as a rock and primed to go, while her pussy hungered for more. They continued to move, climaxing together every couple of minutes, until well past nightfall.

EPILOGUE

Two weeks later, Joe and Amy snuggled together on the couch and clicked on the television, tuning in to the news. They were currently rerunning the President’s first official speech addressing the issue of Sex Mages.

“My fellow Americans, our world is changing. As of almost two months ago, an unknown phenomenon started to occur which began to imbue the women of our nation with strange and unusual powers. Though it is not something many of us are comfortable discussing out loud, and certainly not in public, these things must be said. To try and beat around the bush any longer is pointless; it’s frankly become a ‘secret’ that everybody knows about.

“The women of our nation have come to possess seemingly magical abilities which revolve around sex. Their powers are fueled by sexual arousal and activity, and through this, they are capable of a great many incredible feats; feats of superhuman mental power, physical power, and in some rare cases, even a degree of control over matter and the human form.

“What’s more, contrary to what we previously believed, the powers are not merely sporadic manifestations here and there. We believe with full confidence that virtually every single woman on the continent of North America now possesses these Powers. We know as well that the Powers have spread to every other continent on the globe. We still do not know where these powers come from or how they spread. We simply know that within the next three to four months, every woman on the planet will become a ‘Sex Mage.’

“Many people, men and women, are afraid of this new power. Some women have used their abilities for malevolent purposes. But many more, more than the media would lead you to believe, have been using their abilities towards beneficial ends. These are the women who show us the true benefits of these abilities. There is more to this power than mere carnal pleasure.

“I would implore any and all woman to consider using their powers for the greater good, but more so than that, I would also ask them to be mindful of the law and respect the dignity, decency, and basic human rights of your fellow citizens.

“To my fellow men, this is going to be a difficult time of transition. Women now possess a power we cannot match, a power over what many already consider to be our one great weakness. Please, whatever your feelings on this matter I urge you, as men, to be strong. Be strong enough to trust the women in your lives. Be strong enough to continue being good husbands and fathers, mentors and students, bosses and employees. Look past the Powers and see that these ‘Sex Mages’ are still the women you always knew.”

The image switched over to a commentary panel, and Joe lowered the volume. Amy hugged Joe and leaned her head against his shoulder. Joe put his arm around her, and lay his head on hers. “I guess this is it,” he said. “We’ll see where things go from here. Hopefully, it’ll go smoothly.”

“I think it will,” said Amy. “Women are more compassionate. We’ll give you guy’s time to adjust.”

“That’s nice to say, but such generalizing could be dangerous.”

Amy sighed. “Yeah, I know.” She leaned up and kissed Joe on the cheek. “But hey, look at it this way. There’s one woman you know you can always count on. Any of those other mean old women get their claws on you, I’ll just swoop in and snatch you back up! Then I’ll bring you back home and tend your wounds and make everything right again.” She paused. “Well, just as long you don’t forget to take out the garbage and do the dishes like a good boy.”

Joe smirked. “My hero.” They kissed again and went back to watching the news.

THE END