Human Resource

"So... so that's the first thing. The other thing, the Alex thing, well..."

Robin just shook her head. There was no fight left in her.

"I know that the last couple weeks have been really hard on you. You've been dealing with some really messy stuff. Some hard conversations. I don't envy you that. That must have been hard... and, uh... You know, you're not... It's not like you to get into a screaming match on the plant floor. I know that. Obviously, you're a key member of our team here, and what went on today just, kinda, made me realize that you've been under a lot of stress."

He licked his lips, and wiped the back of his hand across his brow.

"Take a couple days, okay? Paid time. Relax. Have a drink. Do... whatever. Something. You know?"

"Am I being fired?" she asked tiredly.

"No! No. I just think, you know, that taking some time off to clear your head would really help."

"Is Alex taking some time off as well?" she asked, making faint air quotes.

That seemed to catch Dave off guard, and he paused before he shook his head.

"Okay," she said. Her voice sounded like it was coming from a million miles away. "Talk to Nadia. She has... she has something."

It seemed like he wanted to say more to her, but his lips thinned to a line when she stood up. It was better that he didn't.

However the egg had felt on its own, and however much the strain of it ached in the most amazing way with her legs crossed, it was a different thing entirely to walk in heels with a toy inserted and buzzing away in her core. As soon as she started back toward her cubicle, to collect her things, everything started moving faster. Coming sooner.

Walk slowly. This is a moment to savor.

She cried. Not because of her day, or because her efforts to protect her fellow women had failed. Not because she'd been treated unprofessionally, and been punished for standing up for herself. Not because she was being sent home. She cried because she felt the twinge. She was going to squirt when she orgasmed, and she couldn't make herself do anything to stop it from happening. She even slowed her gait, just a little, to make sure it would happen before she reached her car.

It felt warm running down her thighs, just as she passed through the vestibule at the front of the building, and it was at her ankles as she descended the concrete steps outside the building. She barely noticed anything else around her as she walked, lost in her blackened headspace as she was, and it wasn't until she sat down in the driver's seat, and set the app to one of the pulsing intercourse patterns, that she felt even remotely alive.

***

Thursday

The sound of the deadbolt in her front door shifting from locked to unlocked was distant, and Robin did nothing to stop or slow down when the door started opening behind her. She continued to move her entire fist in and out of herself, with a loud wet squelch to mark both entrance and exit. In fact, it wasn't until Luis grabbed her shoulder that she returned to herself for the first time in hours. She was surprised to see light coming through the windows, and couldn't remember when dawn had arrived.

Luis looked surprised too. He wasn't making any sense, though. She let go of her knee, which she had been keeping raised near her shoulder, and reached for the dark green bottle on the edge of the desk. The bottle bounced off her fingertips, more easily than it should have, and fell to the floor. Robin groaned as she twisted in her chair to reach for it, but she felt his hand sliding around her hip.

Finally.

Robin forgot about the bottle entirely, and turned back around to where Luis was moving in close to her. She kissed him on the lips, and then his cheek, and then he turned his ear toward her so she licked and nibbled and sucked on the lobe while purring as softly as she could. He got his arms around her, and underneath her, and Robin giggled as they moved awkwardly toward her bedroom. From what she remembered of the one time she'd given him a handjob, Luis had a larger-than-average cock, and she was excited to have a real one inside her again rather than a toy.

Once they were inside the bedroom, Robin tried to pin him against the wall and kiss his beautiful lips again, but clearly he had other ideas. He used her momentum to keep her moving into her bathroom. That was just fine with her. Sex in the shower had always seemed like a lot of fun.

She giggled at him, fully dressed as he was, and tried to reach for the buttons of his finely-tailored shirt, but things were moving too quickly. His hands kept getting in the way, interrupting her efforts, and, though she was frustrated, she was also so excited that it was finally happening that she'd forgive just about any amount of crossed signals.

Her footing inside the tub was less than ideal, but when she started to slip he was there to catch her, and Robin's heart swelled. She had always loved her friend, and had never held his nature against him, but the prospect of being with someone as caring and sensitive as Luis made her skin pebble.

He reached over her, turned on the water, and it came out cold. She shrieked.

"Robin," he was saying. "Robin!"

"Whysit cold," she slurred. Her whole body was trembling. "Makit hot!"

"Robin!" he repeated, at the top of his lungs. "What the hell?!"

The heat under her skin dissipated in waves as the cold water rushed over her, and she found herself instinctively curling into Luis' arms. She was still very drunk, and very confused, but as she blinked rapidly to keep the water out of her eyes, she finally saw the concern on his face.

"I've been calling you since last night! I was worried sick!"

"You do love me," she said, reaching for his face again.

"Did you drink that whole bottle?"

"That's not the only thing I did with it," she said, with a lazy smile.

Luis reached past her and shut off the water, and then gave her a withering stare.

"What?" she groaned. "I'm a whore. Jus' lemme have this."

"What happened?" he repeated. "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I didn't wanna stop," she said, with a weak shrug. "I figurd, this's what I do now. I don't answer phones no more. I'm a trophy, so I better learn to shut up and take it since thas what I'm gonna do for the ressof my life! I'm justanother set of holes that—"

Luis screwed up his face as he brought his flattened palm in and slapped her. When Robin smiled and shivered, he mumbled, "Oh, that backfired," under his breath. "Honey, you need to wake up."

"What I need," she said, sloppily, as she tried to pull past him, "is to shut my mouth and fine my lane." Just as she got her feet under her, she suddenly looked back and met his gaze. "Do you have a ball gag? You do. Can I borrowit? Need it for work."

"Okay," Luis said, as he got his arms under hers and stood her up. "Let's get you to bed."

"Yes," Robin agreed, enthusiastically, though with just a hint of the bitterness she felt down inside. "Finally! Les get a cock in me already! What am I doing with my life? It's not like these holes are getting any tighter!"

"Oh my god," he muttered, as he took her arm over his shoulder.

"We can do anal," she said suddenly, turning to him with honest excitement. "If that's easier for you! Yeah, anal! Let's do it!"

"Sweetie," he said, as he limped her across her bedroom, "I have never wanted any part of your womanly bits any less than I do right at this moment."

"Awwwww," she groaned.

"Call me when you grow a cock that won't fit in my mouth."

"Hrrrmmm," she moaned, as the side of her hip settled onto the bed. "You're no fun. How am I supposed to be a dumb slut if no one will fuck me?"

"Ignoring you," Luis sang, as he pushed the comforter aside.

"I do' feel so good," Robin moaned, as she rolled from her side to her back.

"And I," Luis said, as he tucked her in, "am going to assume that some people have been texting or emailing you about whatever the fuck happened yesterday, so... Yeah. I'm gonna snoop."

"No don't," she said weakly, as her head rolled. "Confideshul."

"Still ignoring you," he lilted, as he zipped back into her bedroom with her phone. He reached under the blanket, pressed her thumb against the bottom of the phone, and then sat down next to her carefully. "Bitch, you have sixty-two messages."

"I don't feel good."

He made a noise in his throat as he scrolled. "Yadda yadda yadda, sad sad sad, sent-sent home? What is this, high school?"

"I'm gonna fall asleep," she murmured.

Luis ran his fingers lightly through her hair, saying "Oh honey," under his breath as he read. He put her phone down in his lap, and pulled his own phone out of his pocket. "Hello? Denise, hey! I know, it's been a while! ... Yeah! Hey, so remember that little favor you owe me?"

***

"How is your head?"

"Better," Robin said, as she stared nervously out the passenger side window of Luis' car. "Is this the place?"

"Mmmhmm." Luis was staring at his phone, texting up a storm. He made a few wordless sounds in his throat, and then sat up more alertly. "Okay. Are you ready?"

"How come you never told me that you went to these?"

Luis rolled his eyes. "At no time was I ever going to these, okay? I was invited to a couple of them by a certain someone who shall remain a nameless bag of dicks—"

"Jeremy?" Robin said, with a slight smirk.

"Obviously. Anyway, it wasn't really my scene, and I didn't really put it together as something you'd be into. I mean, we've talked about some of the stuff you do when you go down in that creepy little rabbit hole of porn you're so fond of, but I had to see it myself to get it."

Robin bit her lip, and turned red with discomfort. "Sorry."

"I know, honey."

"No, I mean, I'm sorry about this morning."

Luis threw his head back and laughed, putting his perfectly-maintained coiffure in danger of bumping into the headrest.

"I feel bad," she said, more emphatically.

"You have always been shamelessly thirsty, and I love that about you please never change."

Robin squirmed and looked away, but when he put his hand over hers, she managed to glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

"We're good, sweetie."

"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Not a chance in hell," he said, with a completely straight expression.

Robin nodded, and when she smiled afterwards it felt better.

"Okay," he repeated, with more enthusiasm. "Ready?"

As an answer, Robin grabbed the handle of his passenger side door, and stepped out.

The evening air was cool around her bare legs. She looked down at herself, in her long black coat and shiny three-inch heels, and blew a sharp breath out through her nostrils. Both her and Luis looked around at the neighboring houses, each one straddling the border between being large enough for a family of 8 and a small mansion, and checked to make sure no one was watching them as they walked up the long concrete path.

Luis let himself in without knocking. Although Robin experienced some initial anxiety at being party to that kind of entitlement, it disappeared immediately as her attention was drawn upwards. The foyer was large and open, a vast space. The upstairs area had an unimpeded view of the lobby, meaning also that the sounds being made there were immediately and clearly audible to her. Luis quickly shut the door behind them, took her arm in his, and led her through toward the kitchen. Her head twisted to look up the whole way, despite not being able to see anything.

The kitchen was similarly palatial in size, with clean marble surfaces as far as the eye could see. An older woman with a full head of steel hair looked up from her laptop, and smiled broadly. "Luis," she said, as she moved from her stool and spread her arms.

"Hey girly," Luis said, giving her a quick kiss on each of her cheeks. "Thank you for doing this."

At that, the older woman's eyes cut toward Robin, and she had the distinct impression that this woman could look right through her; there was such a sharpness in her gaze.

"This is her?" she asked.

"Denise, this is Robin Lacey. Best gal pal I could ask for. Robin, meet Denise Hastings, orgy curator extraordinaire."

Denise's eyebrows popped as she turned back to him for a moment. "I should put that on my business cards."

Denise looked more like a soccer mom who had gracefully transitioned to grandmotherhood than a purveyor of anything remotely adult, but Robin just smiled. When she extended her hand, to shake, Denise stepped past it and gave her a hug as well.

"Delighted to meet you, Robin," Denise said.

She smiled, embarrassed, and tucked a few strands of her straight black hair behind her right ear. The left side, with its prominent streak of gray, remained over her cheek.

Denise stepped back and, with her arms straight, laid the tips of her fingers against Robin's shoulders. "Oh, and look at you. They are going to love you up there."

"Okay," Robin said, in a very small voice.

At a twitch of Denise's fingertips, Robin removed her jacket. She felt the color rush into her cheeks as she bared herself, as she'd been wearing nothing underneath. Even though she'd known this moment would come, it was still a big step. Denise smiled warmly and took a step back, looking her over with pleased approval and a hint of something more.

"Do I look... okay?" she asked, unable to keep herself from babbling. Logically, she knew that she had attractive curves. Her bust was perhaps a bit small compared to her hips, and she had always been self-conscious about the slight swell of her belly, but she couldn't keep away the sudden fear that all of the other women there would be much hotter than she was, and that she'd be ignored completely and...

...and just as her fears were starting to run away with her, she noticed the way Denise's eyes were lingering on her hardened nipples, and the fears abated just enough.

With a sharp cock to her eyebrow, Denise adjusted her glasses to sit better on her nose, and nodded as she circled Robin. "Oh, they are going to love you. I promise."

"Will you be up there?" she asked, grasping at the most tenuous excuse to fill the awkward space with small talk.

"Not tonight," she said. "My partners and I take turns, with at least one of us off to the side to make sure that no lines get crossed."

"Oh," she said. "Okay."

"Would you like a mask?"

Robin's mouth opened to answer, but no words came out.

"Some of us use masks. A couple women use them all the time, and some of us use them on occasion to mix things up. We have a few different styles on hand, just in case."

"No," she said. "I-I want them to see me."

Denise looked over at Luis, and raised her brows. "Did you explain the bracelets to her?"

"Just give her the black one," he said, rolling his eyes.

The older woman barked a laugh. "Absolutely not. Not for her first time."

"What," she interjected, "um... what black what now?"

Luis smirked at her. "They use colored bracelets as code for who will do what. Limits. Preferences. Et cetera."

Denise cleared her throat, and gestured to a line of boxes on the counter behind where she'd been sitting initially. "Like the little rubbery Lance Armstrong ones. Livestrong, or whatever. There's enough different causes out there for us to get the whole spectrum of colors, and the proceeds go toward something good. Plus, they're one size fits all."

"Oh," Robin said, nodding like that answered her question.

"The black one means no limits," Luis said.

"Oh," Robin repeated, blinking repeatedly.

"Not tonight," Denise said, shaking her head. "Trust me. Everyone thinks they have no limits at first, but then some burly man squats over you and wants to take a shit on your chest and suddenly everyone has a limit." She laughed easily, still shaking her head, and laid her hand gently on Robin's forearm. "Trust me. There's no judgement here, but we're going to ease you into it and see how you do."

"Okay," Robin said slowly.

"Normally we have a background check we run first, and you and I would sit down and have a long talk to try and figure out what your comfort zones might look like or what you want out of the experience, but we're skirting past that tonight as a favor to Luis here."

At the mention of his name, Luis nodded slightly.

Denise turned around and walked back to the line of boxes. "Men, I assume. Let's see. ... Yes or no. Anal."

"Yes," Robin said, with just the slightest pause; not because she was uncomfortable with anal, but because she was still just standing there naked in heels and was starting to feel a little self-conscious again.

"Good," Denise said, without looking up. "I was hoping you'd say yes. You have a beautiful ass."

"I thought you said you weren't going to be up there," Robin asked.

"I won't be joining in," Denise said, looking back over her shoulder, "but that doesn't mean I can't watch. How do you feel about voyeurism?"

"I'm... yes. That's fine."

"That was a joke," she said, with a wolfish grin. "Now. Double penetration."

"Y-yes," Robin said, a bit quicker this time.

"Spit roasting."

"Yes."

The older woman nodded, and grabbed three bracelets from various boxes; orange, lime green, and cyan.

"Puzzle piece one too," Luis said, without looking up from his phone.

Denise looked back and forth between them for a moment. "Dirty talk?" When Robin nodded emphatically, she turned back around and picked up a fourth bracelet as well. She made a little approving sound in her throat as she came over, and when Robin held up her arm she slid the bracelets onto her wrist.

"There," Denise said, with a note of satisfaction. "That should get you started."

Robin stared down at her wrist for a moment, and nodded absently.

I'm sure you could sweet talk her into giving you a couple more. We both know there's nothing anyone up there could do that you wouldn't be into. Maybe if you went up there wearing the whole rainbow on your arm, they'd get the idea.

Robin took a deep breath to settle herself, and nodded more emphatically. "Okay."

"Okay?" Denise said again, tilting her head to meet Robin's gaze from a slightly different angle, but she nodded vigorously. "Okay then. Luis?"

"None for me tonight," he said, holding up his opened palm. "I'm just here to facilitate."

"Okay," the older woman lilted, "but things have changed a little since the last time you came. There's a couple bears up there that I think would suit you well."

"Please," he replied, with an exaggerated eye roll.

Denise shrugged with a laughing sigh. She held one arm out to corral Robin while the other gestured toward the door that led back out, and Robin turned to walk out first.

"Oh yes," Denise murmured, as she walked along behind Robin. "They are going to love you."

Robin's skin began to tingle, starting at her scalp and travelling down her spine, as she re-entered the foyer. The sounds coming from the upstairs area had escalated, with more uninhibited moaning floating over the telltale rapidfire impact of hips-on-hips. As she climbed the stairs, one hand on the railing, her mind went blank.

The area upstairs was also open and expansive, like a den. There was a large TV on the wall, though it was off, and there were couches, love seats, and chairs around the room oriented toward it. It looked like the kind of room designed for a large Super Bowl party. There was a small bar against the far wall, but she was sure she'd seen a better selection down in the kitchen.

A quick headcount told her there were seven men and three women, and in the time it took her to climb the last few steps her eyes widened considerably. One man was off by himself, slouching low in a chair. He was just watching, and it looked like that might be all he wanted to do. Another man was across from him, with a girl kneeling between his legs. Her head was bobbing up and down at a ferocious rate, and his eyes were nearly crossed as he stared up at the ceiling.