Just a Little Magic Ch. 04

I'd had a great summer. Practicing with Lillian and training with Janine was better by far than schlepping away at some minimum-wage job, or sitting in a classroom. The only fly in the ointment, I suppose, was that I hadn't spent much time with my Mom and Bill.

September arrived, and I had to sign up for college. I took Bill's advice (and Janine's), and signed up for Business Studies.

"It'll give you lots of career options." said Bill. "It worked out great for me."

"It's the easiest program." said Janine. "You barely need a brain to pass it."

The truth might have lain somewhere between those two points of view. Or maybe they were both right. It didn't really matter what I took, though. I wasn't going to be there much.

I went to the first classes. Once I had a copy of the syllabus, and the due dates of the assignments, I was good to go. And go I did. I rarely went back - except for mid-terms and final exams.

Missing minor assignments and surprise quizzes would cut down my marks, but I wasn't aiming for summa cum laude. I cheated on the tests, while Janine found classmates of mine who would share their work on important projects and assignment because she flirted with them. Feminine wiles - and just a little magic - ensured that I never had to worry about school.

Sammy didn't approve. I think that part of his annoyance was based on the fact that I was never on campus. I didn't hang out with him during the day (when I was with Lillian), or at night (when I was with Janine). I tried to squeeze my best friend in on Saturdays or Sundays, or on weeknights when Janine cancelled on me.

He could see the difference, and he didn't care for it. But he also came down on me for ditching classes.

"Pete - this is whacked. You paid for these classes - and you never go?"

There was a little part of me, like a voice in the back of my head, that agreed with him. But I just couldn't explain to Sammy that I was going to be rich and famous without school. I was also trying hard to keep up with Janine - like on the night that she welcomed me to her apartment wearing only earrings and a bracelet...

I knew that my thinking was off. But it was in a good cause, right? The long-term goal justified the short-term expedients. Or something like that.

I did feel bad when I occasionally reached out and read my Mom's mind. She and Bill were back on track, so to speak. But she worried about me. She never saw me doing homework, or studying.

Some nights I didn't come home at all, because Janine had challenged me to ring her bells, or because I was too exhausted to find my way home. I was so totally, so crazily into her...

Janine didn't just continue my multi-faceted training. She also found me a couple of gigs for my magic show. I was still a work in progress, but she thought I should gain some experience.

She got me a booking at a small dinner theatre, as a warm-up act, and then at a frat party at the University.

"Remember," she said, "don't call them tricks. Say they're 'illusions', if you have to. Better yet, don't call them anything - just do them."

I didn't 'kill' at the dinner theatre. I was still finding my footing, so my routine stuttered a bit (like someone learning to drive with a clutch for the first time). Still, it had to qualify as a partial success. People gasped when I correctly identified the cards my volunteers had chosen.

One woman double-clutched - that is, she chose a card, and then changed her mind halfway through my act. I nearly blew her mind when I correctly identified both cards - in the correct order.

The university gig, on the other hand, nearly killed me. Those students didn't want to see a magic show; they were there to get wasted. Absolutely shit-faced. The clever drunks constantly interrupted my routine, trying to be funny. The asshole drunks tried to throw me off, just to be dicks.

The combination made it virtually impossible for me to work. I got out of there alive - that's about the only positive thing I can say about that experience.

It was only afterwards that I remembered something that I should have never forgotten.

I'd read a bit about Penn and Teller, the famous magician/comedian duo. Penn Jillette did all of the talking - a task he was supremely well-equipped for. Teller almost never spoke. It was their shtick - part of their routines.

The reason why Teller never spoke, apparently, was because he'd done shows for college crowds. He realized that they were less likely to heckle, or to throw beer if he never spoke a word. The smart asses had nothing to comment about, to play off. They were just more attentive to his show.

Shin Lim never spoke, either. He was born in Singapore, of Chinese parents. But he was raised in Canada, and never learned to speak Chinese. When he toured China, he had no choice but not to speak. It became part of his routine.

Penn and Teller were funny; Shin Lim made silly card tricks look ultra-serious - like high art (plus he was really cool). I was neither funny, nor cool.

But I could do something neither of those guys could: real magic. All I needed was an appealing routine to go with it.

"Maybe I shouldn't talk." I suggested, to Lillian and Janine.

"What are you talking about?" snapped Janine. "You have to talk!"

"I know. I have to speak sometimes. But what if I had a partner? They could do most of the setup. You know - the patter."

"Like who? Your friend Sammy?"

That wasn't a terrible idea. But I already had someone in mind; someone more photogenic, and more appealing by far.

"No, Janine. I was thinking of... you."

"What?"

"That's a brilliant idea." said Lillian. "Janine can do sleight of hand and PK when the focus is on you. You provide the distraction... Janine, can't you see it? They'll never suspect that it's you. And you can set up the mentalist bits - they'll think that you're the distraction, when he actually doesn't need any. It's brilliant!"

Janine came around to seeing the advantages. She would certainly enjoy being the center of attention.

"Pete still needs a persona." she said.

We ended up talking about what I wasn't: cool. Clever. Witty. Good-looking. Suave.

"Maybe we should concentrate on what Pete is." said Lillian.

Silence.

"Klutzy?" I suggested.

"Forgetful." said Janine.

"Absent-minded sounds better." said Lillian. "What if we made those things part of the act?"

It took us a while, but eventually, the basic shape of our act began to emerge.

Janine would be my 'beautiful assistant'. All eyes would be on her - that much was certain - especially if we found her some flattering costumes. People would be staring at her while they thought that I was doing some magic tricks.

That was the beauty of it. I didn't need her to distract anyone. Audiences would wonder why I was simply standing around, grinning, or looking distracted; professional magicians would be flummoxed.

I could act confused, while pretending to be clumsy; I could drop props, muff a shuffle and spray the cards across the floor - generally, I could make myself look completely inept.

My 'faux pas' would provide a distraction for Janine, while she picked pockets and relieved our volunteers of key items, or whatever she could get her hands on. Then she could transfer those things to me in a late pass, so that I could later drop them, or awkwardly produce them while 'trying' to perform other stunts.

I could also 'produce' some of Janine's items, like a ring or a bracelet, giving her the opportunity to slap my arm, or remonstrate with me. And all the while, as Janine monopolized people's attention with her looks and her charm, I could read minds - the foundation of our routine.

"I love it." said Lillian. "I can already see it. It'll be great."

Janine came around to really liking the idea, too. She could imagine herself becoming a star, right along with me.

We celebrated with a bottle of wine, and then Lillian remembered something she needed to do. The moment her mother had gone, Janine took me to bed and fucked me into unconsciousness.

* * * * *

I didn't go to school, but I studied and practiced every day. Lillian was never harsh, but she was demanding. She definitely kept my nose to the grindstone. The beauty of it was that I could feel myself improving.

My concentration was getting better. I could focus on a person and read their mind in a couple of seconds. I even felt as though I could hear them more clearly.

Janine kept me busy, too, but I was never quite as certain that I was making progress. She surprised me, at the end of October, when she made love to me on a Wednesday night, then called me back the following evening, and fucked me like a madwoman. Then she knelt on a chair, and had me take her a second time, from behind.

To my amazement, she called me again on Friday night. She was insatiable; I must have brought her off five or six times.

Saturday night was Halloween. Janine went to a costume party - without me. I'd been expecting her to invite me along, especially after sex three nights in a row just before it. Instead, I ended up at home, handing out candy to the neighbourhood kids.

I didn't see her again until the following Tuesday.

She also began to do (or say) things that I wasn't all that crazy about.

To show me the value of distraction, she took me into a convenience store, where she bedazzled the clerk with her smile and some pretty obvious displays of cleavage. When he handed her change for a $10 bill, she insisted that she'd given him a twenty. The poor bugger had forgotten to keep her $10 out of the till until he'd finished the transaction.

"Cool, right?" she said, as we exited the store.

"That guy is going to have pay the difference out of his own pocket." I said.

"It's only ten bucks." she said.

I felt bad, though. I went back the next day, and gave the clerk 10 bucks.

* * * * *

Janine was rude to waiters and waitresses. She was quick to complain if the service wasn't perfect. I sat there a few times, cringing, while she berated somebody who couldn't answer back.

She also took pleasure in making cutting remarks about other people. Hair, clothing, physical appearance... anything could set her off. No, I didn't join in, but I didn't stop her, either. The reason for that was simple: I was getting laid - regularly.

It took me a while to figure out. But even when I did, I excused her behaviour. She was assertive. She stood up for herself. I should have done the same, but... I was 3/4 in love with her. She was beautiful. I loved her quarter smiles and half smiles, and all the rest of her facial expressions.

I loved her hair, her striking eyes, her nose, her lips, her wonderful boobs (boy, did I love them), her trim body... Janine was my first. Is it so surprising that I was in awe and in love at the same time?

She was advancing my magical and sexual education (my double major). She also taught me patience, by promising to rock my world later than evening, and then keeping me waiting.

Janine also taught me the virtue of charity. If I went down on her often, for prolonged periods of time, she would sometimes become a lot wilder, repaying me with mind-blowing sex. Sometimes, it is better to give than to receive - and you still may receive in turn.

She had rules:

#1 - No glove, no love. I agreed with that one, and was glad later on that I made it a habit.

#2 - Bare is best. She shaved me. I can't say that I was as keen about that one.

"Do I have to?"

"Chicks like it." she assured me. "Ever go down on a guy?"

"Uh - no."

"Trust me - it's no fun to get pubes stuck on your tongue, or in your teeth."

"Did I really need to know that?"

"Just shut up and hold still. You'll end up thanking me later."

#3 - Ladies first. Janine had me go down on her a lot. I liked it. It was always a thrill to make her come. She insisted that it was a vital part of my training. When we first started to have sex, she would reciprocate. Lately, though... not so much.

When I pointed out the imbalance, she snorted.

"I'm trying to help you, Pete. You're with me so that you can learn to be a better lover, before we unleash you on the world. The idea is to make you so good that women will want to have sex with you a second and a third time. You need to learn how to please women - you already know how to have your cock sucked."

She had a point there. It was hard to argue with her.

But even Sammy could see that my relationship with her was not a meeting of equals.

"Why do you let her boss you around?" he asked me.

"Janine?"

"Who else?"

"She's training me, Sam. I'm going to be a professional magician. She's teaching me magic... and stuff."

"She's fucking your brains out."

"Well..." I had a little cocky grin on my face.

"No. I mean it literally. Where did your brains go? What's your backup plan, if becoming a magician doesn't work out?"

"It will work out."

"That's what thousands of waiters and waitresses said about their acting careers. "

"Sam..."

"On top of that, she treats you like dirt. And you never say shit, Pete. Don't get me wrong: I understand that you're getting laid. And she is super hot. Hell, if it was me, I'd need help to get my head out of my ass too."

"But... you're not the same old nerd anymore, you know. I mean, you could pick up girls on your own. I bet you could get almost anyone you wanted. Why do you let her keep you under her thumb? Why do you put up with all her crap?"

I couldn't tell him. Okay, part of it was that she had sex with me seven times over the Christmas holidays. But the real reason - Lillian's vision of the future, and my mission to save Janine and 12 other girls from my Archmage father? I couldn't say anything about that.

He was right, of course. It was in the back of my mind, too. I just didn't dwell on it every day. Yes, she could've treated me better.

But then I'd see her remove her bra, or lift a sweater over her head, and the other things just didn't seem like such a big issue.

Janine seemed to slow down the pace of my 'training'. I saw less of her - two or three times a week, usually - and we only had sex once a week.

That gave me more time to spend with Sammy - even if that didn't always go well.

"Wanna go get a burger?" I asked him.

"Yeah! I was just thinking the same thing. Wait! Did you just do that mind-reading shit?"

"Umm..."

"You asshole! Quit it!"

Janine made it up to me for my birthday, though. She took me out for a fine meal, and treated me to my first legal drinks.

"Just a couple, though." she said. "Alcohol increases the desire, but lessens the ability."

Then she took me home, and did her best to fuck me into a coma. It was like she was trying to cross items off her bucket list. She actually went down on me in the elevator, on the way up. Then she couldn't wait; once inside the door, she mounted me on the floor, right next to their front hall closet.

After that, she had me take her from behind in the shower, followed by a leisurely 69 on the couch. We ended the night in the missionary position, as Janine encouraged me to 'give it to her'.

It was the best birthday party I'd ever had.

* * * * *

A week later, Janine had me meet her at a downtown bar. There was something a little different about her; I had a feeling this wasn't going to be one of our usual training sessions.

"It's been a year, Pete." she said.

It was an anniversary of sort; she'd knocked on my front door on my 18th birthday. "A wonderful year." I said.

"Yes." There it was - that familiar quarter smile. Janine sighed. "But all good things come to an end. You and I... we're not going to have sex anymore."

I hadn't been expecting to hear that. What could I say? Nothing that was going to change her mind, at any rate.

"I... understand."

"I know you're disappointed." she said. "I am too, you know. You're becoming a good lover. But... it won't help us for you to become addicted to me."

I could have said 'Too late', but I kept my mouth shut (just as she'd often told me to do).

"It's time." she continued. "Time for you to leave the nest. To fly solo. You need to learn about other women. What they want... how to please them."

"You need to able to approach women with confidence, to pique their interest... and then 'seal the deal'. If you can rock their world... they'll tell their friends. Word of mouth." she said, with a little smile.

"Okay."

"You can do this. You have several advantages."

"Mind-reading?"

"For one. If you know how a woman is disposed towards you, you can save yourself the trouble of approaching someone who isn't interested. You can also get a better idea of what she will and won't do."

"A drink or two doesn't hurt. They lower inhibitions slightly. Not as much as you might think - but it will make her easier to read. You need time, and proximity. Don't be afraid to talk to a woman for a while."

"Lillian says that your concentration is exceptional. That's going to help, because there may be distractions: loud music, loud people, video screens..."

"I don't know... I may not be very good at it." Truth be told, I was intrigued by the idea of trying to get close to - scratch that: I was intrigued by the idea of seducing another woman. Nervous, but interested.

Janine misinterpreted my reaction. "I'll be there to help you. And it doesn't matter if you strike out a few times, at first..."

I understood the qualification: in a few years' time, it would matter. I had to succeed with 12 different women - failure on my part could cost them their lives.

But in that moment, I also understood something else. There was something that Janine needed to hear from me. Yes, she was pushing the fledgling out of the nest - but that didn't mean that she wanted to see me fly off without even looking back.

"I don't know, Janine. It's just... my heart really isn't into it. I'm sorry... but I'd really rather go home with you. I find it hard to imagine a woman who could rival you."

It was the right thing to say. Janine slowly broke into a smile.

"That's very sweet of you." she said. "But we both know that you have to do this. There are 12 women depending on you - even if they don't know it. You can't save them if you aren't able to seduce them - more than once."

"This is practice. Rehearsal. You have to learn how to score with lots of women. Variety is the spice of life, Pete."

When she put it that way... it didn't sound so terrible.

"I'll try."

"Look: let me throw in a little incentive. You score with another girl, and... and I'll match it. We'll have sex the very next night. What do you say?"

"That sounds like pretty good motivation." Enough to move mountains, I'd say. She'd changed her mind rather quickly about the two of us - not that I was going to complain. "When did you want to start?"

"No time like the present."

"Pardon?"

"The Magnet is right across the street." she said.

The Magnet was a local meat-market / pickup joint. Loud music, free admission for women, Ladies' Night specials (and every night was Ladies' Night).

Janine didn't give me time for second thoughts. She led me across the street, coaching me every step of the way.

"No cheesy pick-up lines. Proximity. Read her body language, and then her surface thoughts. Is she here with friends? Waiting for someone she knows? If there's a possibility, let her see you looking."

"Better to know right off if she's not interested. You can't overcome that. Remember, you can only hypnotize the willing, and even then you can't make them do something they really don't want to do."