D.I.A.N.N.E. Ch. 08

"Whatever you say," I replied evenly as I flexed my neck from side to side. "Perhaps it will be you that hits the grass, today." I admired her body as she stretched, taut, hard muscle beneath softer feminine curvature.

A resounding voice spoke suddenly. "ROUND ONE! FIGHT!" With no preamble, Julia came at me at a dead run, reaching me in four long strides and aiming a spinning kick to my gut, as she'd done before. This time, however, I saw her coming. I caught her foot and twisted it, forcing her to leap into a spin to save her ankle from snapping. Her other foot came over the top to find my head. It was a solid strike, but not enough to knock me down. Releasing her foot, I flowed back smoothly to reset.

She came after me again, this time with a series of quick strikes, hands and feet blurring. I deflected them, concentrating hard, and even managed to land a counter, a sharp elbow to her ribs which caught her by surprise. Her brown eyes widened momentarily before narrowing in determination. I met her next attack head-on as she aimed a nasty kick at my head, but I went low, sweeping her leg out and taking her balance. She fell, and before she was able to roll clear, I was on top of her, pinning her to the grass face-down.

She struggled to get free, but I held her tight. The intimacy of the hold was not lost on me, especially the way my cock was pressed into the crack of her arse. My incorrigible organ began to inflate rapidly. Julia froze suddenly, her eyes going wide again. "What are you doing?" she asked, her cheeks darkening.

"Winning," I said into her ear. Only a moment more did she remain still. Next thing I knew she was somehow free and had me on my back, her body holding me down in a full mount, my wrists pinned above my head. I felt the fight go out of me as I looked down at her body, lush and ripe, strong but soft. Defeated by my lust again, I moaned internally as I readied myself for the finishing blow she was no doubt about to deliver, but it never came. When my eyes found her face, she was grinning.

"How about now?" she crowed as she resisted my attempts to wriggle free. In fact, my movement put my cock in direct contact with her pussy, which made her draw in a sharp breath. Seeing an opportunity, I lifted my hips as far as they would go, and by some stroke of luck, the angle was just right. The head of my prick slipped just inside her wet folds, enough to bathe the sensitive skin in delicious wet warmth, enough to make me want more.

"Shit," she murmured, her eyes half-closing at the sensation. "This isn't... We aren't supposed to..." She shook her head as if to clear it, then gave me a hard stare. "What are you doing? We are supposed to be fighting!"

I smiled up at her. "This is more fun, isn't it?"

Whatever she said in return was lost as the booming voice called the end of round one a draw, and then we were back on our feet, facing off again.

"Round Two! Fight!"

"No more tricks!" Julia called as she came forward, hands raised.

"What do you mean?" I replied as we began trading blows again. Something had gotten to her; I wasn't having to focus as much to deflect her attacks, now.

"You did something to me!" she accused as she aimed a chop at my neck. I stepped forward instead of away, the chop bouncing harmlessly off my shoulder. She followed with a kick, but I shot an arm between her thighs and folded her body over my shoulders, lifting her from the ground. Her smooth pussy was hot in the crook of my arm for a split second before I turned us both over, flipping her onto her back. I landed on top of her, driving her into the soft grass firmly, but not hard enough to hurt her.

"Like what?" I demanded as I scrambled around to mount her, preventing her from getting to her feet. To my delight, I ended up settled between her thighs. Strangely, I got the feeling she wanted me to pin her like this. She certainly offered no real resistance.

"Like this!" she exclaimed, her cheeks now on fire. She nodded downward, between our bodies. My cock was resting on her bald mound, only an inch away from the pink folds of her pussy. All I had to do was move my hips back slightly... "It's like my body doesn't want to fight you!"

I shrugged. "Maybe it wants something else." To my delight, she shivered and drew a ragged breath. Delight faded when resolve replaced desire on her pretty face.

"No!" she barked, twisting a hand free and punching me hard in the ribs. She got free and rolled away, springing to her feet. "This isn't right! Let's end this the right way!" She dashed forward.

I sighed. "Very well." Forgetting about my greedy sex drive for the moment, I flowed toward her, my newly acquired kung fu instincts taking over. Julia fought with all the grace and fury of a true warrior, refusing to give in to her desire. How had that happened, anyway? What had I done to create this effect in her? Dianne had said before that this was a combat game and it worked differently to others. There was more here I didn't yet understand.

She pressed me hard for the remainder of the round, neither of us gaining any real advantage. At the end of the round, we were separated again by an unseen force and returned to our starting positions. We were breathing hard, our skin shining with sweat, our eyes locked across the forest clearing. I felt a flutter of excitement beyond my usual lusty ardour; I was actually enjoying the competition. Julia's eyes glimmered with a similar intensity, and I knew she was not going to let me win this easily.

"Last round!" she called confidently. "Get ready to go down!"

I shook my head. "No chance." I was almost ready to ask Dianne to put clothes on us, just so I could concentrate more. Taking a tiger stance, I breathed deeply and awaited the signal to start. No sooner had the words thundered in the air than we were rushing in, both seeking a quick, overwhelming win. Almost faster than my eyes could follow, we exchanged a flurry of strikes and parries, our arms and hands slapping together with sharp cracks.

Somehow, I lost my footing and began to fall. Quicker than thought, Julia's thighs were around my head, squeezing my cheeks as her knees bent and her ankles locked together down near my waist. My right arm was pulled tight, hard enough to make me think it might pop out of my shoulder. By the time I hit the ground, she had me in a perfect arm bar, my arm held hard against her body, resting between her breasts.

I hurriedly assessed my situation, but she had me good. Every time I tried something she pulled harder, threatening to break my arm.

"Give up!" she taunted.

I tried not to focus on how smooth the skin of her inner thighs was. The back of my head was resting on her pubic mound. If only she had have got me the other way round... "Never!" I said aloud, some stubborn streak in me refusing to yield. She's gonna break my arm...

"I'll let you fuck me," Julia cooed. Her words made me freeze. "Really?" I asked thickly, my lips distorted by the pressure on my face.

"Sure," she replied casually. "It's how we do things around here, sometimes."

I considered her offer. Lose and fuck her or win and don't fuck her. This is a no-brainer. My palm slapping the grass told her I'd made my decision.

"Julia wins!" the announcing voice boomed. I waited for the clearing to disappear, but nothing happened.

"Good boy," Julia purred as she released me. I rested my head on the grass gratefully, catching my breath. "What do you say we get right to it?" she suggested as she flipped up onto her hands and then over, landing gently on top of me. "Winner goes on top!" She sat astride my hips straight-backed and proud, smiling down at me. I watched entranced as she lifted her hips to let my cock stand up straight, then lowered them again. It seemed to take forever for that delicious cleft between her thighs to touch my aching crown, and even longer for it to swallow me up, pulling me into warm, wet delight.

"Ah!" she sighed as she reached the bottom. She wiggled her hips a little, settling herself. "I never get to do it this way."

"What do you mean?" I asked in a tight voice as she began to undulate. My hands went to her hips and held them tightly. Jesus, she felt good.

"The others always want to be on top, mostly," she said breathily, her hands resting atop mine. Her modestly plump breasts moved hypnotically on her chest. "You know, we're all so competitive."

"Others?" I sounded strained, but only because of the way she was riding me, smooth and steady. My hands took hold of her breasts, which made her sigh.

"The other fighters," she explained as if it were completely normal. Her breath hitched as my cock hit a sweet spot.

"Oh," I said absently. I was getting close to my peak already, only half-hearing what she was saying. I came to my senses, however, when she came to a stop, eyeing me critically.

"You aren't going to pop yet, are you? I'm not done."

I tried bucking my hips to keep the motion going, but she rested heavily on me, not letting me move much. "I am," I admitted, "But I can keep going regardless. You'll see."

"Huh," Julia grunted, her expression saying she didn't believe me. "I guess we will. If you let me down, though, I'll never let you touch me again."

I couldn't tell if she was serious or not, but I wasn't sure I cared either way. I had an almost infinite number of sexual partners available to me, thanks to Dianne. Would the loss of one really matter? An uncomfortable notion flickered to life in the back of my mind. What would Debbie think of this? It blew away like a puff of smoke as quickly as it formed. "Deal," I growled, springing forward and putting a hand around her back before flipping her beneath me. "Now let me demonstrate."

I began to fuck her in earnest, and she quickly wrapped arms and legs around me as I attempted to drive her into the grass. When my balls lifted and churned, I let it happen and came inside her, pulse after sweet pulse wracking me. It was more intense than I expected, and for a moment, I feared I might collapse from suddenly watery muscles, but after only a few deep breaths, my body recovered.

Julia moaned approvingly once I started up again. "You were telling the truth," she purred in my ear. "That's good. That's very good."

***

--TECHNOLOGICAL FACILITY, LOCATION UNKNOWN--

"You think we can control him this way?" M asked J as she watched the screen.

"I believe so," J replied as he made some adjustments. "We will see."

"It's clever," M said thoughtfully as her tilted eyes observed Twenty being mounted by yet another woman, this one from a combat game. "Reward him with sex, but we control when. We can guide him that way."

"It should keep the system stable," J added, "As long as we pre-empt him. It should keep him occupied, too, which will allow us to put something of a leash on him."

"So, we're just going to take sex off him? Make him work harder for it?" He knew M already knew the answer to the question, but she wanted to hear him say it.

"Not entirely, but we make it too easy, he will grow suspicious, or bored, or both. That may make him even more dangerous." He caught M's eye and grinned. "We make him work, but not too hard. And we keep him away from the ILP for as long as possible, at least until we have more data."

M nodded. "He will keep developing, but at a rate we determine. This is good, J. I have the latest readouts from Dianne; he recovered well after the ILP and will be ready for another session whenever you say the word." After a moment, she added, "It's pleasing to see I am not the smartest one in the room all the time."

J cocked an eyebrow at her playfully backhanded remark but kept his eyes on the graphs he was watching. "I'm full of surprises, you know." He grunted as slim fingers brushed his flaccid cock.

"I was always better at the numbers," she told him softly. Another brush. "But you were always better with people."

He turned from the screen briefly to smile at her. "We make a good team."

"Yes, we do." M gave him one last brush and a gentle squeeze before going back to her own work, and J resumed his focus.

I will keep you safe, Twenty, he thought. If I can. Nothing was ever certain.

***

When I left the Tekken arena and returned to the MAP, I was pleasantly buzzed from my time with Julia. My stats on the big display now read forty-seven, forty-nine and thirty-seven in the same order as always: Physical, Mental and Social. I was growing smarter and stronger at a steady rate, and my social skills were improving, too, if a little slower than the others.

The holographic version of me spinning on its podium in the centre of the big room was a far cry from when I'd first seen it. In a classic 'T' pose, the digital Jake was now barely carrying enough body fat to be called overweight. 'Chubby' was perhaps a better term, and even that was being critical. Muscles were now visible beneath the skin of my lower legs and forearms, and while my torso was less defined, a definite masculine shape was forming. I thought I might look quite striking once I hit my peak.

Walking around the podium, I grinned, feeling too good about myself not to. The grin slipped, however, when I went back to the big screen and saw my sync state for Tekken at only five percent. "Dianne? What gives?" I demanded. "I thought I was supposed to be getting better at syncing."

"You are," Dianne replied. "But the rules of Tekken are their own. Do not expect all titles to be the same, Jake."

"And just what are the rules of Tekken?" I shot back, irritated that I had not made further progress.

"That is for you to discover," Dianne said smoothly. "However, I can reveal one piece of information. The more experienced you are with a title, the faster you will synchronise."

"So, I play more, I sync more," I replied flatly. "That is not new information, Dianne."

"The progress also includes time spent before I arrived, Jake."

That was a new concept. "So, I did better at Final Fantasy because I'd already played it so much?"

"That is correct, Jake."

"I see," I mused, pursing my lips as I thought about what to do next. I had time to do plenty; it was only Monday afternoon, and I wasn't seeing Debbie again until tomorrow night. Thinking of her made me wonder for a second how she would feel about my exploits in the virtual world. It's not like I was cheating on her. Not really.

After a minute's deliberation, I decided to hit Tekken again. I wanted more progress, both in my own growth and in the game. Once back in the void with the podiums, I quickly chose my next opponent. Short, slender Ling stood up excitedly, dark eyes flashing. I looked over her lithe body approvingly as the world shifted and became an arena, this time a sandy beach on an island. Diminutive, the Chinese beauty still looked strong as she squared off with me.

The fight was fast and intense, and even with my new skills in martial arts, I had trouble fending her off. I barely registered her nudity after the first few seconds, so busy was I with trying to stay on my feet. Her circular, flashy style kept me guessing where her next strike would come from. I lost the first round, then barely managed to win the second. At the end of the third, she had me on my back in the sand, straddling my chest, right hand raised, fingers stiffened for a finishing blow.

I closed my eyes and waited for it, ready for the pain, but instead I heard her softly say, "Give in and you can have me." My eyes shot open. This again? Her pale cheeks were flushed, her breathing heavy not only from the exertion of the fight.

She's turned on, so why do I have to give in? "And if I don't?"

"Then I end the fight right now," she replied in her thick Chinese accent. Her hand drew back a little further.

Something's wrong, but what? I racked my brain for the answer, but I was running out of time. Another look at Ling's slender body sitting on top of me broke my will. My hand tapped the sand, and she lowered her hand. Her lips curved in a slow smile as she adjusted her hips. A moment later, I slipped inside her, unable to stifle the pleased groan that escaped my throat. I touched her body as she rode me, her hips, her petite breasts, her waist, but whilst I enjoyed myself, something niggled at the back of my mind, an unanswered question I could not completely ignore.

Try another one, Cloud said suddenly. It had been some time since I'd heard from him.

Another what? I asked him as Ling brought her heels forward and rested her weight on them, effectively squatting over me and bouncing up and down. I watched my cock disappear and reappear, swallowed and released repeatedly by her tight pussy. It was getting hard to focus.

Fight another opponent and see if it happens again, Cloud replied.

My guess is, it will, I shot back as my hands went to Ling's tits again. She pushed them forward, arching her back. Then, in an amazing display of flexibility, she twisted sideways and stretched one smooth leg along my body, her toes almost brushing my chin. Her other leg went the opposite way, out between my legs, leaving her in a splits position. She shot me a cocky look and then began to bounce her tight butt. The difference in sensation, of being inside her sideways, was hitting sweet spots on my cock I hadn't known were there.

Not wanting to sit idle, I quickly reached between those bouncing cheeks and began to tease her tight ring. Her soft moaning grew louder at my touch.

That tall blonde one looked like a good handful, Indy suggested.

You mean the one that threatened to kick our eyes out? Cloud and I retorted in unison. That had never happened before.

Nothing like a bit of danger to excite things a bit, Indy returned brightly. I wanted to roll my eyes.

Does that mean I might have to give up again? I asked them both.

Does it matter if you do? Indy countered. Isn't this why you're here, kid? To get all the tail you can handle?

He had a point. Why did giving up bother me? I had no interest in being the best at anything. The Company was giving the me the life of my dreams right now, and all I had to do was keep using Dianne. I could have all the insane sex I wanted, and it didn't really matter how I got it. But now I had a girlfriend. Did that mean I needed to change my behaviour, even virtually?

Despite Ling's best efforts, I was suddenly less interested in sex than I ever remembered being. She looked at me with a blend of shock and offense when I gently but firmly removed her. I was somewhat regretful, but it just didn't feel right anymore. "I'm sorry," I told her honestly. "But I need to stop."

"Why?" she demanded, her fine brows drawn down over pretty, tilted eyes. She sat in the sand beside me almost petulantly, her knees drawn to her chest. "Was I not good?"

I shook my head. "No, you were excellent. I just need to go, that's all." I sighed as the world vanished. Back in the MAP, I began to pace back and forth across the large, illuminated squares that made up the floor.

"Is something the matter, Jake?" Dianne enquired after a minute. "My systems detect a heightened level of conflicted emotion in you."

I stopped dead. "You can do that?"

Dianne responded with a whole bunch of technical-sounding stuff about chemical readouts and visual sensory data, but I wasn't really listening. I was thinking about Debbie. What would she think if she knew what I was getting up to in here? Would she care? I mean, she told me herself she was sexually free-spirited, but what did she really mean by that? We both slept with Jessica that night, but we did it together, not apart.