La Belle Ile en Mere Pt. 09

All characters in sexual situations are 18 or older. Thanks for reading!

"Did you find anything?" Anna met with her son in the hallway of floor 160. The hall was decorated with what looked like bamboo but was actually created on-site using fungus. The murals on the walls and ceiling depicted scenes from feudal Japan.

"I found two terminals. Both were locked." The hair on George's neck suddenly stood up. Something was wrong, but he wasn't sure what it was. His mother seemed chipper. "Mom, is that really you?"

"What sort of question is that?" She smiled like he was playing a silly game.

From her response, George was fairly sure that she wasn't Kapnos. "Have you seen Mrs. Salazar? Something feels weird here." He scanned the hall to both sides. His eyes stopped on the wall twenty yards away. A human shadow pressed itself against the wall, almost becoming part of the mural. There was nobody attached to the shadow. It was just blackness. No, that wasn't right. Now that he focused on it, there was a rainbow sheen on its surface where it caught the light from the fake torches lining the hallway. He stepped between the thing and his mother.

"I haven't seen Mrs. Salazar since we got to this floor. She was going to check the rooms..." Anna's words faded away when George put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed tightly. His face blanched and went slack. His eyes were round as saucers. He looked horrified. She followed his gaze but didn't see anything amiss. It looked like an abandoned hall. "What is it, sunshine?"

"On the left... under the fifth torch down," George whispered. As he said the words, eyes formed in the shadow's head. It was almost like they were rising from the depths in opaque liquid. The eyes wobbled a little and found their place about where they should be in a human face. He squinted. He could see other things moving below the surface of the thing. What looked like a femur rose near the surface of the shadow's thigh, and then sank again, disappearing from view. George's pulse thundered in his ears, and his heart seemed to want to jump out of his chest. A cold sweat beaded his face. With his hand on his mom's delicate shoulder, he forcefully moved her directly behind him and started backing them away from the thing.

It took Anna a moment to see the odd shadow. It hid well, blending into a group of charging samurai in the mural behind it. Once her eyes spotted the thing, her muscles tensed. She clutched at George, grabbing a fistful of jacket with her gloved hand. "It... it... has eyes. It's watching us." She was immensely grateful that he had put himself between her and this thing. At the same time, she knew it was a mother's duty to protect him from the world. She didn't try to switch places with him. "Is it some sort of robot? Part of the hotel?"

The thing darted away from the wall, swept down the hall on legs that did not bend in the right directions, and disappeared down the stairwell.

"That wasn't part of the hotel." George released his mother's shoulder and wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "I... don't know what that was." Is that Kapnos in her natural form? If so, she's terrifying. He turned toward his mother. She was a woman whose disposition had been forged with steel. Even so, she looked rattled. Her face was ashen, and her eyes darted with fear. He put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. "It's gone, Mom. It's okay." He could feel her shoulders trembling. He turned and moved sideways so he could watch the stairway where the thing had disappeared and pulled his mom into a hug. She melted into him.

Gratitude for her dauntless son filled Anna from head to toe. Whatever his teenage flaws were, he was a special person. She was proud of the man she'd raised. Anna buried her face in his chest for several reassuring seconds, and then turned her head to the side so she could speak. She continued to squeeze his back tightly with her arms. "Océane, what was the creature that just ran down the stairs from this floor?"

Océane answered with her cheerful, disembodied voice. "Vous faites référence à l'invité le plus récent. Il bloque les ascenseurs de cette tour et limite l'accès à l'anneau. Contrairement à l'invité le plus ancien, celui-ci a été un problème pour moi. Il m'a dit que si je le nourrissais, il partirait. Je l'ai servi comme j'ai pu, mais il n'a fait que grandir. Je ne pense pas qu'il partira de lui-même. Si vous pouviez faire partir le nouvel invité, je vous en serais très reconnaissant. Je ne peux toujours pas utilizer -"

"That's enough, Océane." Anna sighed. She should know better than to ask the computer for help.

George was making a list of things to do after they retired to their rooms for the night. He doubted he'd get much sleep. He would get to the bottom of what the shadow was one way or another. From the length of Océane's answer, he suspected the computer knew something about what they'd just seen. And he hoped he might have a translator. "Why don't we find Mrs. Salazar, have dinner, and call it a day?"

"Yes, that sounds good." Anna nodded into his chest and released him. She glanced down the hall, but the thing hadn't returned. "Let's stick together."

"Forever and ever." George nodded. They began searching for Kapnos.

~~

Ernest woke with a start. He was covered in sweat. His feverish skin felt like it was pulsing. He pulled himself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. He took a long, cold shower, muttering to himself. "Falling. We're all falling, but we'll never land. The top is the bottom, and the bottom is the top. This is hell. Falling. We're all falling. The falling thing saw me. It reached for me, but I escaped. But for how long? I'm falling. I'll fall back to it." All the while, his knuckles rapped on the tile.......- -. --...-. /.- - / -..... / -... --- - - --- -- / ---..-. / -..... /.--..-...-..

When he was done with the shower, he dressed himself in one of his everyday suits. It was wrinkled, and his tie was loosely knotted, but he didn't notice. He cautiously stepped out into the hallway. The mirrors on either side made him dizzy. He didn't see any shadows lurking about. What would he do if he did see one? He couldn't chase it back down the tower. An idea occurred to him, and he went into Albert's room. He picked up the sword, placing the flat of it on his shoulder. Now he didn't feel so naked. He would go searching again. And when he found one, he'd...

"Returning to the scene of the crime, Mr. Zaal?" Roy stood in the doorway, peering in at Ernest.

Ernest spun and scowled at the intruder. "Out of my way, Mr. Haversham. I'm going about a task." He stepped toward the door but faltered when Roy didn't move.

"I know what you did, Mr. Zaal. I know you killed Mr. Dmytruk." Roy pointed his finger. "Your guilty countenance confirms it. You and your boy murdered that man, and now you're back to destroy the evidence."

Ernest glanced at the sword. "This? Evidence?" He shook his head. "I came for this because I intend to exterminate vermin. I always tell my children, 'You need the right tool for the right job.' And this is perfect." Ernest frowned. "Though a pistol might be better. Do they have those in the armory?"

"I... um... don't think so." Roy backed away from the room. The look in the other man's eye was murder. Why did I confront him on my own? His hands trembled with fright. He stuffed them into his pockets. I was so wrapped up in the case, I didn't see the danger. This man is deranged. "What... um... vermin... are you going to exterminate?" He tried unsuccessfully to keep the quiver out of his voice. He looked over his own shoulder at the closed door to his room. "Constance? Could you join me, please?" There was no reply.

"I don't like you, Mr. Haversham. Not at all." Ernest sauntered out of Albert's room, sword still on his shoulder. "Stay out of my way." He walked up to the trembling man, and leaned in close, so they could be eye to eye. "I'm trying to keep us all safe."

"Is... is... that why you killed Mr. Dmytruk?" Roy tried to keep himself calm and collected, the very image of a detective cataloging evidence. But it was mighty difficult with an existential threat just a couple feet away.

Ernest snorted. "No, that's not why I killed him." He leaned closer. "Stop trying to follow me. Stop asking questions. Leave me alone."

"Um..." Roy's brain didn't register any of what Ernest had just said. He was too busy watching a small black cloud swirl in the white of Ernest's left eye. "Um... um... um... your eye... Mr. Zaal. There's something in your left eye."

Ernest snorted again, whirled and marched down the hall.

"What was wrong with his eye?" Roy whispered to himself. He was shaking like a leaf as he watched the other man go. Roy was no doctor, but he didn't like the look of that strange, black cloud.

~~

"Barricade yourself tonight." George handed his mother her toiletries from the backpack and a spare change of clothes they'd laundered that day. It was time for bed. After seeing the strange shadow, they'd found Kapnos, eaten dinner, and settled down in rooms on the one-hundred-fifty-ninth floor.

"I will. And you do the same." Anna nodded. Thinking back on that abominable shadow creature, she wanted to cry. Why did things keep getting worse? But she kept her emotions in check. She needed to project strength for the others.

"Will do." George slung the pack over his shoulder. "Goodnight, Mom." He turned to go.

"Georgie, aren't you forgetting something?" Anna waited, standing primly near her bed, her gloved hands clasped in front of her skirts.

"Mom?" George turned back to her with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Since you haven't brought it up, I'm not sure you need the distraction. We had an eventful day. But... I did promise you. You haven't been with Mrs. Salazar, have you?" Anna slowly pulled on the fingers of her right-hand glove. When she saw his eyes light up, a shy smile tugged at her lips.

"No, Mom. I didn't touch Mrs. Salazar today." George tried not to think of it as a lie. Technically it was true. As far as he knew, Delores had never left the hundred-and-third floor. Kapnos might look like Delores at times, but she certainly wasn't the same person.

"You're such a good young man." She sat on the edge of the bed and finished removing her glove. She held her bare hand up next to her face, wiggled her fingers, and made a mock-surprised expression. "If you continue being good, I might even let you hold my hand tomorrow."

"Wow... Mom..." George was instantly hard. She was even prettier when she was being goofy. The shadow thing faded from his mind. His sole focus turned to his beautiful mom. "If you let me hold your hand from now on, I'll never look at another woman." He walked over to the bed.

Anna's smile disappeared. She glanced at the bulge in his trousers. Goodness, how did she and Ernest create a man with such a big thing? "No, sunshine. Like any respectable mother, I want you to look at another woman. My hand is a distraction from disaster with the two women you accidentally... um... fell in with... given our situation. When we get home, and you go off to college, you'll find a smart, pretty girl to court. You'll go slow with her and treat her with respect. And when it's time for... you know... you'll use protection. I don't want you thinking of me as a substitute. I'm just... distracting you for a little while. Until we can get you into a better situation."

"Right, sorry." George had all sorts of things to tell her. He didn't want to leave for college. He wasn't the same person without her. He didn't see himself courting anyone anytime soon. And he currently had a girlfriend: Kapnos. But he said none of that. He kneeled in front of her and held out his hand. "I want you to put your hand in mine." He wanted her to initiate the illicit touching.

"You really do like my hand." She watched his eager face as she slipped their fingers together.

"It's beautiful."

"It's just a hand." She shook her head and tried to look uninterested. But her insides responded to the rough warmth of his grip and the pleasure on his face. Her stomach twisted itself into knots of anticipation, her vagina tingled with warmth, and when she looked down, her nipples pushed through her bodice. They were almost as obvious as the bulge in her son's trousers. She tried to spy his hardness, but the way he was kneeling, his arms got in the way. "What's so special about a hand?"

"It's pale, delicate, and... full of your... um... dexterity. It's also something you haven't shared with anyone else." He smiled at her, their gazes meeting. Her gray-blue eyes were full of vibrant life.

"I share my hands with your father," Anna said quietly.

Neither of them had anything to say to that, so they were quiet for more than a minute.

Eventually, George lifted their hands, brought the back of her hand to his mouth, and gently kissed her bare skin.

"Oh, my..." Anna couldn't contain the obvious shiver in response. "That's going too far, George." She had to admit; her eighteen-year-old son looked handsome and gallant on one knee kissing her hand. She watched him kiss each delicate knuckle, one by one. He looked like a prince from some ancient fairy tale. She blinked her eyes, shook her head, and reminded herself that this was her sweet George. Not her beloved Ernest. A small voice in the back of her mind piped up; He has more to give than your husband. Her cheeks flushed at that thought. George does have a mightier weapon. "Okay... okay... George. That's enough." But she didn't pull her hand away. "You've gone too far."

George held her soft knuckle to his lips and looked over her hand at her bemused expression. What would Nossy do? He had already followed her three steps, but she hadn't yet given him further instructions. He decided to let instinct lead. He had saved them and discovered Kapnos's secret by following his intuition. "That's not going too far, Mom. It's sweet and gentle. We haven't crossed any grave lines, right?"

Anna nodded her head slowly. This probably wasn't going too far.

"This..." He held up her index finger between them. "... is going too far." He pulled it toward his mouth and slipped it inside. He closed his eyes as he ran his tongue around the finger. His beautiful mother's bare finger. He heard her squeal, but she didn't pull her hand away.

"Oh... my... gosh... Georgie. Where did you learn to do that?" She stared at the lascivious spectacle with her mouth hanging open. Her husband had never made love to her hand the way George was at the moment. No man had. She hadn't even considered such an act. Her whole body thrummed with energy. "You're right... this is over the line. We should stop." But she didn't stop him. Why was she letting him do something so salacious? She knew he was overly attached. This certainly wasn't helping. He would need therapy when they got home. When we get home? Are we really leaving this place? In the face of everything that harried and tormented her sweet son, this made him happy. Despite the reasons she had to pull away and never give him her hand again, she let him continue. For a long time, the only noises in the room were the occasional slurp that escaped his lips and Anna's heavy breathing.

A thrill built inside George. After what felt like forever, he removed her finger from his mouth and smiled blissfully. "Look, Mom. It's pruned. I pruned your finger." He held her finger up so she could see the little wrinkles at the tip.

"Those... are such surreal words for a mother to hear. I... never." She gently pulled her right hand away from his grip and put it in her lap with her left. She didn't return it to its glove. Not yet. "I just... I never." She shook her head in disbelief.

"Since you first took off your glove, I haven't thought about anything horrible. Not until right now." George's knee was sore, so he slowly stood in front of her. "Not the skyrmion burst, not the shadow, not Océane and her stupid regression. You are the best distraction ever, Mom."

"Um... I forgot those things, too." Reminded of those horrors, Anna straightened her bodice and took a deep breath. Other problems began to creep into her mind, like her suddenly cryptic, violent husband and the lack of transport home. "We better call it a night. I'm glad I could distract you from those things and from Ms. Pemberton and Mrs. Salazar. Why don't you go to your room, take care of any business you need to, and get some sleep." The business he needed to attend to seemed to be attempting to break its way out of his trousers. She blushed at having alluded to his inevitable masturbation.

"I'm not ready to think about all that stuff, Mom. What if... you distracted me for a little while longer?" He sat next to her on the bed and gripped her bare hand with his.

Anna studied his face. He was so earnest and sincere. She remembered the way he'd stepped between her and that thing in the hall. Her heart melted. "Yes, of course. But no more of my fingers in your mouth."

"Sure." George nodded. His instincts had carried him this far; he gave them free rein. He lifted their joined hands and brought his extended finger to her full lips. He parted her lips with his finger, trying to push it into her mouth, but her teeth kept it out.

"Now... sunshine... what are you doing?" Anna's voice was clipped as she dared not open her teeth far enough to let him in.

"You don't want to suck on my finger?" George frantically tried to come up with a plan B. He smiled when a thought occurred to him. "Yeah, that's too much. Sorry." He unclasped his hand from hers and placed her index finger with the tip on her bottom lip. He scooted a foot away, placed his hands neatly in his lap above his erection, and gazed at her lovely lips. "Can you suck your own finger? I would be happy just to watch."

"This... is ridiculous."

"All the same, if you please?" He nodded encouragement.

Anna smiled at his polite insistence on something so vulgar. "I'm only doing this because of the extreme situation we've found ourselves in, and because you've proved yourself to be an exceptional young man. Do you understand?"

"You're saying that you'll suck on your fingers for me while we're in the hotel. But when we get home, I have to court a woman properly if I want to watch anyone make out with their own hand." George's hands were right on his dick, and he couldn't help himself. He subtly rubbed his cockhead through his trousers, hoping she wouldn't notice.

"That wasn't what I was saying. But... I'll agree to it. You really want me to do this?" She ran her fingertip along her lower lip.

"Yes."

"Okay, then." She slipped her index finger into her mouth and sucked on it, puckering her lips around the digit. She left it there and kept the suction for about a minute. She pulled it out and smiled. Her joy disappeared when she saw him frowning. "What's wrong, Georgie?"

"I... thought you'd put more effort into it." He stopped rubbing his cock when her gaze darted down to his crotch. He didn't think she'd caught him.

"Your own mother sucked on her bare finger for you, and... it wasn't enough?" Her eyes went round with disbelief. "What I just did for you is very special. You should be grateful. I can think of..." She screwed up her face in concentration, making a show of thinking very hard. "... exactly zero other mothers who would take their glove off for anyone but their husbands. Especially not their sons."

"You're amazing, Mom. Thank you. I am incredibly grateful. This has been the perfect distraction." George forced a smile and stood. "I'll go take care of business now and get to sleep."

"Sunshine, are you still keeping a diary like I asked?" Anna knew he was disappointed. Despite his words, she could see his slumped shoulders and his plodding gait.