Sunday, November 2, 2014

Floating Tease

Maggie smirked as she watched her husband gently suckle her toes. For several minutes now, she’d used her magic to float him in the air, limbs pulled back into a hog-tied pose, settling his face against her feet as she stretched her legs out on the ottoman. Tom shivered and trembled as he sucked and licked her toes; as she floated him, she likewise caused the sensations of dozens of phantom feathers and tongues to stimulate his cock and balls, which throbbed with incredible tension. To his humiliation, she likewise made a phantom finger spell to wriggle inside his rectum, stimulating his prostate.

She’d been teasing Tom this way for only a few minutes, and he was already steadily dripping precum like a leaky faucet as his cock clenched and jerked fiercely in a vain attempt to cum. But then, she hadn’t let him orgasm in nearly eight weeks, so it was understandable. But she would still chastise him for it.

“Ugh, you’re making such a mess,” she said in a lightly scolding tone. “Can’t you exercise even a little self control?” Tom’s only response was a loud whimper as she twisted the phantom finger in his ass a bit more intensely.

“Well, anyway,” she said, feigning bored tolerance, “now that I have your undivided attention, I wanted to discuss a few things with you. You’re in trouble, mister.” Tom whimpered again. “Oh, don’t even try to appeal to my sense of pity. You used that up while we were still just dating. By now, you should know the rules. And the rules say… what? What do they say?”

Tom could only give another high-pitched whimper, but his thoughts came through clearly to Maggie. She nodded. “That’s right, Tom. They say that you are not allowed to masturbate. But what were you doing when I got home?” Another pitiable moan. “Playing with my stockings that’s right. Quite a clever little set-up, stringing them up on a clothes line, then using a fan to blow them back and forth, then sitting under them so they would lightly drag across your cockhead.”

She held them up for Tom to see, and shook her head. “Getting your pre-cum all over them. So messy.” She tsked as she magically made Tom feel the sensations she was describing, adding them to the onslaught, causing his whole body to quake with need. “Honestly, I’ll never stop being amazed at you men’s ingenuity. Even when you have magic spells restricting you from touching yourselves or humping surfaces, you still find ways to get yourselves into trouble.”

She took out her cell phone and checked it. “Well,” she said, “I’ve got errands to run, and then I’m meeting Judy for lunch.” She pulled her legs away and Tom’s mouth worked for a few moments more, before letting out a pained moan of need. He had to do something to try and distract himself from the teasing torment, even if only a little. Without that, he was going to go mad!

Maggie stood up and slid off her panties, freshly moist from teasing her husband. She slipped the panties over his face, making sure the damp spot was right on his nose. Tom groaned and shuddered, his cock surging at the scent. As she did, she added a second phantom finger to his rectum, and a couple phantom hands to rhythmically squeeze his cock, coaxing him fiercely to the edge of a climax she would not allow him to have. Tom mewed and shook pitifully, tears of desperation running down his face and soaking the panties further.

“Now, now,” she said, petting his hair soothingly. “I’ll only be gone for a few hours, then I’ll let you go. Plenty of time to think about what you did.” She leaned close and whispered hotly into his ear. “Plenty of time to devise new ways of getting into trouble, I’m sure. You’re such a slut for punishment, aren’t you dear?” Tom mewed, but already, she could sense his mind racing, trying to think of some way, any way, he could defeat her spells and relieve himself. She’d promised him he could cum if he could find someway of masturbating to completion, after all. The stockings just hadn’t been enough stimulation to let him shoot before he was caught.


Maggie smiled and pat his head. “There you go, naughty boy,” she said. “Keep dreaming.” She reached over and gave his cock a sharp flick, and all the sensations intensified. She let out a soft chuckle, then straightened her skirt, slipped on her high heels, and went out the front door, leaving Tom helplessly teased and afloat.

Common Terms

Sex Magic – The mysterious sex-based power which has given all adult women on Earth psychic and magical powers over men’s bodies and minds. Only women ever obtain this power, and no man has ever been able to resist it.
 
Lust Energy – The ethereal energies which men generate, which women then absorb to power their Sex Magic spells. The energy can only sensed and used by human women; no man or technology has been able to sense it.
 
Sex Mage – A woman who has gained the power of Sex Magic. Since all women eventually gain the power, Sex Mage is effectively synonymous with “adult woman.”
 
Archmage – A Sex Mage who demonstrates stronger than average abilities, and may even be able to perform extra abilities that most women do not have. Usually Archmages are born into their power, but in theory, a normal Sex Mage may be able to train themselves to become an Archmage over a long period of time, if they have attention from a large number of males who readily supply her with an excess of energy. Most celebrities and porn stars, for example, seem to invariably become Archmages.
 
Megami – A Sex Mage with far greater powers than normal Sex Mages or even Archmages. They can easily use special abilities most women can’t do. All Megami are thought have been empowered by the Cascade Event.
 
Glitches – A slightly derogatory, yet generally accepted term for Sex Mages whose powers have some faulty aspect.
 
Queen – A Megami-class Sex Mage who rules over a Queendom, often receiving worship from her followers.
 
Queendom – A national ruled by a Megami Queen. Queendoms are absolute dictatorships where the Queen’s ideology determines the cultural values of the nation.
 
Tease Zones – Areas bathed in Sex Magic which automatically arouse and tease men who step into them.
 
Queendom Barriers – Tease Zones formed as high, thick, but invisible walls around the outermost borders of Queendoms. These trap foreign men trying to enter the country illegally, as well as apply psychic warnings to women doing the same. In some cases, the Barriers also trap citizens in.
 
Gitch Commune – Depending on the nature and severity of their Glitch condition, some women chose to live in isolation, either completely by themselves, or in small, all-female communities, where distance from men can at least mitigate most issues.
 
Free Roamer Lands – The large stretches of wilderness and ruined civilization that exist outside the borders of the Queendoms. These areas are given to anarchy, and consist of "Free Roamers", nomadic groups or self-sustaining villages and towns that follow their own codes, but have no means of enforcing rule of law beyond their small settlements.
 
Free Zone – Found in a couple Queendoms, these are protected areas where men are allowed to live free of Sex Magic interference. Men living here have to “rough it” with little to no running water or electricity, but on the other hand, women who enter this area and use their Sex Magic are harshly punished.
 
The Cascade Event – A global phenomenon wherein the entire population of the world was knocked into a coma due to a contagious storm of Sex Magic spell effects. Men were mentally submerged into sexual dreams so intense that all women around them would sense it and be overwhelmed by the intense Lust Energy radiating from them, forcing them to create an equally intense Lust Aura that sent other men into a similar dream state, spreading like a psychic contagion. This event created the Megami, who managed to stop and reverse the effects of the Cascade, but not before billions of lives were lost.

The Cults –  In the context of recent history, "the Cults" were small organizations that took advantage of lost and desperate people unable to deal with the changes Sex Magic was making to society. Like many previous cults throughout history, the leaders of these organizations were largely con-artists or lunatics seeking to use easily manipulated people for their own personal gain. Many also claimed to be attempting to unlock other forms of Magic, though this never actually happened.
Several Cults were known to take their newfound philosophies to dangerous extremes, being responsible for ritualistic murders, kidnappings, and political sabotage. At least one Cult was known to engage in domestic terrorism in the name of their goddess. Presently, while some suspect a few Cult communities may still exist out in the Free Roamer lands, most Cults that were not already dismantled by the authorities are assumed to have perished during the Cascade Event.

The Surge – The phenomenon in which the first generation born after Sex Magic arrived on Earth displays stronger powers on average than the generation that came before. All women are closer to Archmage levels of power, Glitches are almost unheard of, and all men produce an increased level of Lust Energy.
 
Radiants – Men who, for whatever reason, produce copious amounts of sexual energy compared to other men, even from just a little bit of teasing. One Radiant can produce as much as ten to twenty times as much energy as a regular man for less effort. Radiants tend to be highly prized, and often horded, by powerful Sex Mages, often forced to work for the government or as a direct servant to a Megami.
 
Samaritans – Women who consider it a duty to aid men who are suffering from Sex Magic torment. Most commonly, these women will remove orgasm and masturbation blocks on men, might occasionally give a long suffering man a good hard orgasm in relative privacy, or other similar generous gestures. Samaritans are derogatorily referred to as “White Knights” by some women who are angry at such interference, both as an implication of someone who thoughtlessly lends aid, as well as a reference to semen.
Punishers – Women, almost always Archmages, whose job is to punish female criminals, particularly for egregious acts like murdering men or controlling men to commit other crimes.
 
Lover’s Honor – A phrase with a two-fold meaning, depending on the context. In some circles, this is considered a very serious pledge of trust between a woman and her partners. However, in other circles, it has been adopted as a facetious phrase; since sex and affection are so casually handed out and easily abused in a Sex Mage World, the idea of an honorable love becomes a mockery in some people's eyes.
 
Chivalry – Chivalry has taken a new form since the emergence of Sex Magic. It now usually refers to a code of honor among women to treat men fairly and protect them from abuse.
 
Toyfriend – A boy who is in something like a "friends with benefits" situation with a woman. A mostly casual relationship, the Toyfriend is usually still a priority partner for the Sex Mage, who is free to use him whenever, and however, she wants. The "not-couple" still maintains a friendly relationship or may already be friends, and she will still protect him from other girls. What separates a Toyfriend from a Boyfriend is the general lack of a real romantic connection, although one can certainly blossom between them. Likewise, a Toyfriend is not really a Sub to his Sex Mage, as he is otherwise not expected to serve her outside of being free for her to use.
 
Test Boy – A (usually young) man who is often a Sex Mage's first man she plays with, just to test her powers on. If the boy isn’t already attached to a woman, he may find himself the town test dummy for burgeoning Sex Mages, often not allowed to cum or even given sex despite how much teasing he has to endure. In such situations, “Test Boy” can have the same connotations as “virgin loser.”
 
Lust Energy Generator – A man who’s job is to provide women with Lust Energy. Often these are men frozen in place and teased with Spells for hours, kept magically glued to a wall, or left in a otherwise unused room, from who the women can continuously absorb ambient Lust Energy from. These are most common in places of high work intensity, such as offices or hospitals, but can be commonly found around college campuses, or even in random spots through a city in some of the crueler Queendoms.
 
Book Boy – A man whose job is to be a data repository, from whom women can telepathically speed-learn information and skills. Commonly found in libraries and college campuses, but some corporations have their own private collectives.
 
Boy-Boarding – The act of using a boy as a living hover board, with a woman standing a top him to ride and steer him with her powers. Used for casual short-range transport or amateur stunts and races, this has also become an international competitive sport, where women flying boys through convoluted obstacle courses.

Ex-Toy – A somewhat mocking term some women have for their ex-boyfriends or ex-husbands, whom they still tease and torment with Magic, usually out of spite.
 
Pussy Shock – The point where a man is so wired up and tormented by sex, he goes into a sort of trauma-induced shock state. A man this messed up by Sex Magic can be sent into this state merely by seeing a glimpse of a bare breast or vagina. It's worth noting that Sex Magic will normally prevent this sort of trauma, but not always.
 
Hard Attack – This is when a man is suddenly made extremely aroused by an overwhelming bombardment of Magic, such as with an intense Arousal Aura, or a concentrated Hard On spell.
 
Cum-Dum – Catch-all mild insult from girls to boys who have been denied, or teased, long enough they’re too horny to think straight, and will do anything to get off.

B-Face – Short for "Blocked O-Face." The unconscious facial contortion a boy makes when he edges against his orgasm block. Claimed to be sillier-looking than a normal O-face.
 
Lust Drunk – Also called Sex Drunk, Boner Drunk, Blue Ball Tipsy, and various other euphemisms. This is a common enough state where a woman has absorbed Lust Energy and the euphoric effect hits her somewhat like a drug or alcohol high. While usually a mild effect, and can be resisted by women experienced with energy control, some women are more susceptible than others. Likewise, some men's Lust Energy is more intoxicating then others. In this state, women's arousal and sexual playfulness increases, mentally loosening them up to coax them to embrace the raw femdom hedonism of the Magic.

The Bench – The Bench is a sort of modern "stocks" form of punishment, usually found in smaller villages and towns, sometimes also found in gated communities in the suburbs. The Bench is usually an actual bench, but may be just a platform or wall placed in a common, high-traffic area of the town, such as the business district, a popular park, or the town square. Men found guilty of crimes are made to sit on the bench, or stand against the wall, fully nude, and are frozen in place, kept that way for several days. Any woman who wishes can do anything they want to the man, in terms of sexually teasing him. Naturally, any man on the bench cannot be made to orgasm, otherwise, pretty much anything at all is permitted, short of actually injuring him.
 
The men are helpless as literally hundreds of women send them small psychic teases on whim, and some women (often the victim of the crime) will show up to mock and tease and play with him for hours. Young Sex Mages may even be encouraged to use them as Test Boys for practicing their powers. Often at night, the lights are doused around the men, and some women use this opportunity to have sex with them anonymously in the darkness.
 
Sentences on the Bench will almost never last more than a week, given that even the most stalwart of men will easily go insane with such constant treatment. Although the Bench is reserved for actual crimes, such as theft or violence, it isn't unheard of that sometimes a women with influence may arrange a few days on the Bench for a guy who has simply pissed her off. Every town with a Bench has a few anecdotes of ex-husbands or ex-boyfriends getting Benched by a jilted ex-lover.
 
Furs/Anthros – With the realization that the Magic could alter the human form, thousands of people were suddenly able to indulge in fetishes not physically possible before. Foremost among these are people who have changed themselves to have animal features, like cat ears and a tail, or bunny ears, or bird-like wings. Most stick only with minor additions, but some will actually undergo full metamorphosis into half-human/half-animals. These people came to be called “anthros” or “furs.” Even despite much greater acceptance of a variety of fetishes, there is still a lot of stigma against people who actually undergo such transformations and try to make them into a full life style. As such, most Anthros have isolated themselves into Anthro-specific Queendoms or towns where their lifestyle is the norm.
 
Lust Energy Dynamo – An energy collection device invented to mitigate some of the energy crisis caused by the collapse of the global economy. Contrary to the original concept of the device, the LED does not actually directly convert Lust Energy into tangible energy. Instead, LED technicians use Sex Magic to tease men and absorb their energy, then increase their own body heat and bio-electric fields and channel that energy into the LEDs, to be converted into electricity.
 
CoO – Pronounced “koo”, but sometimes mispronounced as “Q”. An acronym standing for “Chance of Orgasm”. This expression is used in some circles by women to rate men on a scale of 1 to 10. Instead of judging beauty or whether or not she would sleep with him, this is a matter of likelihood she would allow the man to cum, 10 being she would let him cum immediately, 1 being let him cum no more than once a year. Alternatively, some guys rate their chances for relief with a woman on this scale, since getting laid or magically teased is pretty much a given, being allowed an orgasm is the truly difficult part. Also alternatively, this is used by a third party observer to rate how cock teasing the woman in a couple is. (Example: “What’s his CoO?” or “Careful, she’s like a 3 on the CoO!”)
 
ZQ – “Zero CoO.” A man who has absolutely zero chance of cumming, or who just never gets to cum. First dates with a Sex Mage are essentially a guaranteed "ZQ" for any man.

Pop Day – Some Queendoms or specific towns have come to the conclusion that the men deserve at least one guaranteed day within a certain time period to achieve relief, otherwise, they eventually get despondent from endless teasing with potentially no breaks in sight. Thus, the Pop Day was made as a country or town-wide holiday that happens two, three, or four days out of the year, often in accordance with a pre-existing holiday. For example, Christmas is a common Pop Day for many western Queendoms, while some set them to the solstices and equinoxes. Some places may set a man's birthday as a guaranteed Pop Day as well.

For some the Pop Day is a day of total sexual freedom, where a man's normal restrictive conditions are released, and he's free to masturbate, cum, and initiate sex as much as he wants. For others, the Pop Day is dreadful, as the guys in town may be guaranteed to cum before midnight, but all the women put them through a twenty-four hour cocktease hell to make sure he "earns" his release. Either way, it is heavily discouraged that any man be prevented from cumming at least once on that day, or the women who prevent it may themselves face punishments or social backlash. The only exception may be guys who are being Benched, but usually the Bench is cleared on Pop Days.

Lesbian Amplification Effect – The effect by which one or more women having lesbian sex amplifies the power of their spells and generates an immensely strong Arousal Aura.

Spell Levels – An unofficial ranking of the power of a spell, as measured by scientists at Pandora. This is based more on the intensity of effect a spell may have on a man, which may vary a bit from person to person, rather than a specific measure of "energy", which still cannot be accurately measured to this day. This also can be equated to the euphoric effect Lust Energy has on women.

Fucktoy Ghettos/Bitchboy Ghettos – While an uncommon practice, some of the meaner Queendoms will corral their unclaimed, unprotected, and otherwise unproductive men into these government housing sectors. They are provided with basic living needs, single-person apartments and free meals. In exchange, however, any woman who wants is allowed to simply enter their homes and do whatever they want to them, short of grievously injuring, maiming, or killing them. Men in these ghettos have essentially no rights and no protections, even in towns that otherwise treat their men well. Such places are banned in most Queendoms officially, but sometimes, these sorts of places can crop up almost naturally in more isolated settlements.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Brutal Healing

ONE
I’ll give her this much, she was still the sexiest woman I had ever fucked. The kind of woman that somehow combined sexy and cute in the same package. I had met her at a bar on a warm summer night, and my first instinct upon seeing her was that she was way out of my league. But after a couple shots of “liquid confidence”, I had decided to try my luck.
“Hey, babe,” I said, sauntering up to her. “I hear the beach is nice this time of year. Care to catch a moonlight stroll?” Crap, could I have sounded more gay? I thought to myself.
She looked over at me, her blue eyes wide and somehow mixing innocence and mischief all at once. The color stood out all the more thanks to her dark hair, which hung straight to her shoulder.  At first I thought she wasn’t going to say anything and just turn away, but then she asked the barkeep to put the drink she’d ordered on her tab, then downed it in one swig. I sighed to myself, thinking I had just scared her out of the bar. But when I turned to leave, I felt her hand slip into the nook of my arm. “Okay,” she said, her voice sweet as honey, and her face slightly flushed from chugging her beverage. “Shall we go?”
Grinning like a fool, I led her outside to my car. “So,” I said. “You really interested in the beach, or did you have somewhere else in mind?”
“Oh, no,” she said. “The beach is perfect. I have a beach house I use for the summer, so we can use that. It’s a bit far down the road, but it’s nice and private.”
My grin must have widened, because I saw her smile broadly at my expression. “Ah,” I said, “So are you a summer resident?”
“Oh, no, I’m local,” she said. “But I usually live in the inner city, thanks to work. During the warmer seasons, I use the beach house on my days off, when I can get them.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a biomancer.”
My eyebrows went up at that. “Really?” I said. “That must keep you busy indeed.”
“Fourteen hour days, four days a week,” she said, with a sarcastically chipper voice. “Well, it helps when you’ve got magic to keep you fresh and energized the whole time, but once that three day weekend hits, I want to just crash most of the time. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten out. So what do you do?”
“Oh, I’m a lawyer,” I said. Then, a bit sheepishly, I admitted, “Mainly just traffic court. Nothing too exciting, really.”
“Hey,” she said with a smile. “Nothing wrong with that. Maybe after this is done, you can help me with my speeding ticket.” She winked and we laughed a bit. We continued to chat as I drove us to her place. It was indeed out there, about a ten minute drive past the city limits. She had me pull off onto a gravel road which went through a line of trees. Finally, we got to a small paved parking area, and just behind that was the beach house.

Pet Teacher

ONE
The clock ticked by slowly as Rachel sat in her English class, bored out of her mind. She considered it her easiest class; writing had always been her strong suit. Unfortunately, this led to an overconfidence which made her unprepared for her tests, which she didn’t bother to study for. She could bullshit her way through the essays easy enough, but it was clear to Dan Hadder, her young teacher, that she was only getting by on a minimum of effort.
When class was over, Dan called Rachel to stay behind. The freshman girl sighed, annoyed at the request, but not really surprised by it. She supposed she couldn’t just slack off forever; this was college after all, but honestly, how could she be expected to pay attention when she’d learned most of this stuff in High School already?
Dan sighed a little as Rachel gave him an annoyed look.  He couldn't keep cutting her breaks, however. If he didn’t learn to be firm with his students, his teaching career would be a joke. “Rachel,” he said, calmly, keeping his eyes on her face.  “Your performance in your school work has been lacking. I can see that you are very bright, and can easily grasp the material, but you don’t put in any more than a minimum effort. Just because you are bright doesn't give you the right to slack off. I've given you the benefit of the doubt thus far, but I can’t keep giving you a pass if you aren’t going to at least try.” Dan waited to see her reaction, hoping she wouldn't be as dismissive of his words as she was of her work.
Rachel watched him with a bored expression, her grey eyes glancing over him. He was certainly a cute one, which was really the only reason she even paid him even half her attention. When he paused, she pursed her lips together as she carefully eyed him over. “I don’t see what the problem is,” she said. “I do the work. Why isn’t that enough?”
“Because just doing the bare minimum isn’t going to get you ahead in life,” said Dan.
Rachel shrugged. “Why does it always have to be about getting ahead? Life’s not a rat race. Or at least, it shouldn’t have to be.”

The Pixie's Reward

ONE
Duncan had been driving home from the factory in the wee hours of the morning when he encountered a pixie. It smacked against his windshield with a rather loud “THWAP!” as he idled at a stop light. The pixie groaned as her form splayed almost comically across the glass. Duncan frowned and observed the small creature with that perfect deadpan look only those tired to the bones, yet not in a position to fall asleep, can master. He put the car in park long enough to step out and scoop the small thing up, before depositing it on the passenger seat. He then drove the rest of the way home, ignoring the impulse to question his sanity. Such lines of inquisition could wait for a better time, one when he wasn’t having to use most of his willpower to keep his eyes open and on the road.
As he drove home, though, he stole a couple glances at the thing he had rescued. It was the very image of a classical pixie: a fully grown, beautiful woman only six inches tall, wearing a simple green dress, with two sets of translucent, iridescent wings sprouting from her back. Her long red hair came down to nearly her ankles, and her slim, fit figure had a nice set of curves.
She did not awaken as Duncan pulled into the driveway of his small, one-story home. He cupped her gently with one hand as he went inside. Grabbing a clean hand towel, he set up a small “mattress” on the kitchen counter, and lay her down atop it. Then he plopped down on the couch, and turned on the TV. As the sights and sounds of late night programming lulled him to sleep, he wondered if his little hallucination would still be there in the morning.
He was assured of this when, eight solid hours later, he awoke to a tapping on his cheek. With a snort, he blinked awake and nearly leaped out of his skin as he saw the diminutive creature hovering right above his face. Still half asleep, he swatted at it, thinking it was some kind of large bug. She easily dodged his hand, floating up to the ceiling.
“Hey!” she called down, in a voice surprisingly normal sounding for one so tiny. “Careful!”

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Girls Talk

Becky, Marceline, and June were in Marcy’s room studying, when Marcy suddenly looked up, head tilted as if trying to listen to something she could just barely hear. She “listened” for a few moments more, then let out a sigh that was somehow half-annoyed, yet half-amused. Becky looked up at her, cocking an eyebrow. “What’s up, Mars?”

“I think… I think Todd’s jacking it to thoughts of me,” she said.

The two other girls’ eyes widened. “No way, Todd Berman?” said Becky. “Oooh, that stud? I’m totally jelly!” Becky sat up and stretched. “All I get is Bobby and Tim, those dweebs. I guess because I got glasses they think I’m nerd-cute or something.”

June frowned. “Hmph. Nobody ever jacks it to me.” She looked herself over. “I guess cause I’m so fat.”

Becky sighed and gave her friend a poke in the arm. “You are not fat, you’ve got a healthy amount of meat on your bones.”

“And you two look like beanpoles,” said June. “And that’s what the boys like!”

“Speak for yourself,” said Becky. She cupped her breasts, which barely fit the small bra she wore. “At least you’ve got tits! You could smother a guy in those babies! I don’t even have a good handful.”

June scowled. “I guess Little Miss Mars is the perfect one, then!” June glanced a little enviously at their friend.

Marceline “Mars” Dean, was rather stunning with her bright red hair and trim figure, which still maintained a wonderfully developed bust. Mars shrugged. “Look, I work out and take care of myself, guys, don’t blame me if you don’t bother to do the same!”

“Bullshit,” said Becky. “I’ve seen you pack down sweets and soda like a six year old in a candy store.”

“It’s probably the boys,” said June wistfully. “When you absorb the sex energy from them, it charges your body, makes you more fit and healthy. You probably got dozens of guys masturbating for you, Mars.”

Mars smiled a little bashfully. “Nah, not that many…”

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Penny For Your Thoughts

As John sat on the couch watching the news, Penny came in with the mail and sat next to him, leaning back against the arm rest, and settling her legs on John’s thighs. John used her legs as a drink holder, setting his beer bottle between her knees, and she dutifully shifted her legs a bit closer together to hold it. As she did so, John reached over and rubbed her feet.

“Mmmm,” said Penny, smiling. She blew John a kiss, sending a touch of magic with it. John actually felt the touch her lips on his, and he smiled back.

Penny sifted through the mail, and started shifting through it. Mostly junk and a couple bills. Penny stopped at an envelope she didn’t recognize, however. It appeared to be a vacation offer. Shrugging, she tore open the envelope and glanced over the contents, a pamphlet showing an ocean liner.

John took a drink of his beer as the TV show cut to commercial, and he glanced at the pamphlet. “Ha. I remember when we used to do stuff for vacation.”

“I don’t,” said Penny. The two chuckled. The first vacation together they’d taken had been a cruise ship. Unfortunately, they caught a horrible flu the first day, and spent half the time confined to quarters. When they finally got better, a tropical storm kicked up and the ship had been forced to cut its route short. Still, they’d managed to buy enough souvenirs to impress their friends when they got back.

“Why don’t we ever go places anymore?” said Penny. “You know, besides the lake.”

“You don’t like the lake?”

“I love the lake. But the past five years, that’s the only place we’ve been. It would be nice to go, I dunno, hiking at Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, or go to the Bahamas, or to Ireland like we always said we would. Hell, even just do a roadtrip down the coast, y’know?”

“Yeah, I hear ya.” John pat her leg. “Well. I mean, we could. Not too much really stopping us.” He paused. “Except, you know, America getting chopped up into a bunch of little kingdoms and travel between them now being a tremendous pain the ass.”

“Queendoms,” said Penny. “They’re called Queendoms now.”